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A woman's place in hotel management: upstairs or downstairs?

A woman's place in hotel management: upstairs or downstairs? Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to ask whether it is the notion of choice (a pro‐life work/life balance decision) that influences woman's desire to strive for promotion within a hotel organisation or is the choice made for female managers by a system of organisational processes. Design/methodology/approach – This research within an international hotel group in Australia and New Zealand explored what barriers prevent women from reaching the top echelons in hotel management. A qualitative approach used semi‐structured interviews to study the intersection of gender, age and time in life with career progression and their combined impact on the glass ceiling phenomenon. Findings – The interviews revealed that the perception of glass ceiling barriers faced by women differed depending on where they were in their career cycle. They were revealed as the “long hours” culture, the old boy's network, hiring practices and geographical mobility. These significantly influenced women's work‐life balance, and personal‐life choices. Research limitations/implications – Interviews were carried out in three locations across a variety of job positions; therefore, this study has a reasonable degree of validity. Findings could be applied to other large hotel enterprises in Australia and New Zealand. Practical implications – The findings from this study offer implications for management practice. Originality/value – The hospitality industry faces a worldwide shortage of skilled staff. This paper seeks to answer why the hotel sector is struggling to retain talented female employees who wish to take advantage of the managerial career paths offered. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Gender in Management: An International Journal Emerald Publishing

A woman's place in hotel management: upstairs or downstairs?

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Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
Copyright © 2009 Emerald Group Publishing Limited. All rights reserved.
ISSN
1754-2413
DOI
10.1108/17542410910950877
Publisher site
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Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to ask whether it is the notion of choice (a pro‐life work/life balance decision) that influences woman's desire to strive for promotion within a hotel organisation or is the choice made for female managers by a system of organisational processes. Design/methodology/approach – This research within an international hotel group in Australia and New Zealand explored what barriers prevent women from reaching the top echelons in hotel management. A qualitative approach used semi‐structured interviews to study the intersection of gender, age and time in life with career progression and their combined impact on the glass ceiling phenomenon. Findings – The interviews revealed that the perception of glass ceiling barriers faced by women differed depending on where they were in their career cycle. They were revealed as the “long hours” culture, the old boy's network, hiring practices and geographical mobility. These significantly influenced women's work‐life balance, and personal‐life choices. Research limitations/implications – Interviews were carried out in three locations across a variety of job positions; therefore, this study has a reasonable degree of validity. Findings could be applied to other large hotel enterprises in Australia and New Zealand. Practical implications – The findings from this study offer implications for management practice. Originality/value – The hospitality industry faces a worldwide shortage of skilled staff. This paper seeks to answer why the hotel sector is struggling to retain talented female employees who wish to take advantage of the managerial career paths offered.

Journal

Gender in Management: An International Journal – Emerald Publishing

Published: May 8, 2009

Keywords: Hotels; Glass ceilings; Women; Hospitality management; Career development

References

  • Inequality regimes: gender, class and race in organisations
    Acker, J.
  • The interlocking of gender with nationality, race, ethnicity and class: the narratives of women in hotel work
    Adib, A.; Guerrier, Y.
  • Reframing the ‘glass ceiling’ debate
    Altman, Y.; Simpson, R.; Baruch, Y.; Burke, R.
  • High staff turnover eats into hotels' profits
    Barr, S.
  • Human resources in tourism: still waiting for change
    Baum, T.