Beyond the “Broken Rung”: a multi-level analysis of gender bias in male-dominated hotel management roles.

Lists

Cao, Jin and Paraskevas, Alexandros ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1556-5293 (2025) Beyond the “Broken Rung”: a multi-level analysis of gender bias in male-dominated hotel management roles. Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes. ISSN 1755-4217 (In Press)

Preview

PDF (PDF/A)
Beyond the “Broken Rung”_ ParaskevasA_accessible.pdf - Accepted Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial.
Download (620kB) | Preview

Abstract

Purpose: This study explores how gender role expectations lead to bias in hotel management roles that are mainly taken by men (male-dominated), how these biases operate on different levels and how they can be addressed.
Design/Methodology/Approach: Seventeen female senior managers who worked in male-dominated roles in international hotels were interviewed via Microsoft Teams, with responses analysed using thematic analysis.
Findings: Gender biases exist at the societal, organisational, interpersonal and individual levels. The findings include the effect of menopause on women’s careers, the barrier of female jealousy and the unintended effects of gender-specific initiatives.
Originality/Value: The research presents a multi-level model explaining how gender role expectations perpetuate in male-dominated hotel management roles and offers practical insights for industry practitioners.
Research Limitations/Implications: The qualitative design and small sample size limit generalisability. Future work should explore other cultural contexts and conduct longitudinal studies.
Practical Implications: Hotels should implement targeted policies to address gendered career barriers, including mentorship programmes, transparent promotion pathways, and work-family balance considerations.
Social Implications: The findings of the study have implications for increasing gender equity and leadership diversity in the hospitality industry.

Item Type:	Article
Keywords:	Gender bias, male-dominated managerial roles, hotel management, gender role expectations, social role theory, female leadership, hospitality industry, career barriers.
Subjects:	Hospitality and tourism > Hospitality > Hotel management
Related URLs:	https://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/j...
Depositing User:	Alexandros Paraskevas
Date Deposited:	05 Jun 2025 14:34
Last Modified:	05 Jun 2025 14:45
URI:	https://repository.uwl.ac.uk/id/eprint/13752
Sustainable Development Goals:	Goal 5: Gender Equality

Downloads

Downloads per month over past year

Actions (login required)

View Item

References

Ali, M., Grabarski, M.K. and Konrad, A.M. (2022), “Women in hospitality and tourism: a study of the top-down and bottom-up dynamics”, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 34 No. 4, pp. 1448-1469.
Barkhuizen, E.N., Masakane, G. and van der Sluis, L. (2022), “In search of factors that hinder the career advancement of women to senior leadership positions”, SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, Vol. 48 No. 1, pp. 1-15.
Bishu, S.G. and Headley, A.M. (2020), “Equal employment opportunity: women bureaucrats in male-dominated professions”, Public Administration Review, Vol. 80 No. 6, pp. 1063-1074.
Braun, V., Clarke, V. and Weate, P. (2016), “Using thematic analysis in sport and exercise research”, in Smith, B. and Sparkes, A.C. (Ed.s), Routledge Handbook of Qualitative Research in Sport and Exercise, Routledge, Abingdon, pp. 213-227.
Casad, B.J., Franks, J.E., Garasky, C.E., Kittleman, M.M., Roesler, A.C., Hall, D.Y. and Petzel, Z.W. (2020), “Gender inequality in academia: problems and solutions for women faculty in stem”, Journal of Neuroscience Research, Vol. 99 No. 1, pp. 13-23.
Chun, L., Jingjing, Y. and Li, C. (2024), “Barriers that impede mid-level female leaders’ advancement to senior management positions: evidence from China’s tourism and hospitality sector”, Tourism Management Perspectives, Vol. 54, 101303.
Cortina, L.M. and Areguin, M.A. (2021), “Putting people down and pushing them out: sexual harassment in the workplace”, Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, Vol. 8 No. 1, pp. 285-309.
Dashper, K. (2020), “Mentoring for gender equality: supporting female leaders in the hospitality industry”, International Journal of Hospitality Management, Vol. 88, 102397.
Eagly, A.H. and Karau, S.J. (2002), “Role congruity theory of prejudice toward female leaders”, Psychological Review, Vol. 109 No. 3, pp. 573-598.
Eagly, A.H. and Wood, W. (2012), “Social role theory”, in Van Lange, P.A.M., Kruglanski, A.W. and Higgins, E.T. (Ed.s), Handbook of Theories of Social Psychology, Vol. 2, Sage, London, pp. 458-476.
Erkal, N., Gangadharan, L. and Xiao, E. (2022), “Leadership selection: can changing the default break the glass ceiling?”, The Leadership Quarterly, Vol. 33 No. 2, 101563.
Fan, X., Im, J., Miao, L., Tomas, S. and Liu, H. (2021), “Silk and steel: a gendered approach to career and life by upper echelon women executives in the hospitality and tourism industry in China”, International Journal of Hospitality Management, Vol. 97, 103011.
Gebbels, M., Gao, X. and Cai, W. (2020), “Let’s not just ‘talk’ about it: reflections on women’s career development in hospitality”, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 32 No. 11, pp. 3623-3643.
Hersch, J. (2015), “Sexual harassment in the workplace”, IZA World of Labor, available at: https://wol.iza.org/articles/sexual-harassment-in-workplace/long (accessed 1 June 2025).
Mastracci, S. and Bowman, L. (2015), “Public agencies, gendered organizations: the future of gender studies in public management”, Public Management Review, Vol. 17 No. 6, pp. 857-875.
McInerney, C. and Koenig, M.E. (2011), Knowledge Management Processes in Organizations: Theoretical Foundations and Examples of Practice, Morgan and Claypool Publishers, San Rafael, CA.
Metcalfe, B.D. (2007), “Gender and human resource management in the Middle East”, The International Journal of Human Resource Management, Vol. 18 No. 1, pp. 54-74.
Miller, G.E., Mills, A.J. and Mills, J.H. (2009), “Introduction: gender and diversity at work: changing theories, changing organizations”, Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences/Revue Canadienne des Sciences de l’ Administration, Vol. 26 No. 3, pp. 173-177.
Moagi, A.L. (2023), “Sexual harassment and other workplace challenges for African women”, African Journal of Gender, Society and Development (Formerly Journal of Gender, Information and Development in Africa), Vol. 12 No. 1, pp. 63-86.
Mooney, S.K. (2020), “Gender research in hospitality and tourism management: time to change the guard”, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 32 No. 5, pp. 1861-1879.
Morgan, N. and Pritchard, A. (2019), “Gender matters in hospitality (invited paper for ‘luminaries’ special issue of International Journal of Hospitality Management)”, International Journal of Hospitality Management, Vol. 76, pp. 38-44.
Norberg, C. and Johansson, M. (2021), “‘Women and ‘ideal’ women’: the representation of women in the construction industry”, Gender Issues, Vol. 38 No. 1, pp. 1-24.
Peshave, J. and Gupta, K. (2017), “Challenges in the career progression of women in hospitality industry – a review of literature”, International Journal of Commerce and Management Research, Vol. 3 No. 2, pp. 158-165.
Russen, M., Dawson, M. and Madera, J. (2021), “Gender diversity in hospitality and tourism top management teams: a systematic review of the last 10 years”, International Journal of Hospitality Management, Vol. 95, 102942.
Sampson, D. (2022), “Does the gender pay gap prove inequality in the workplace? an investigation on how the gender pay gap is formed”, Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, Vol. 7 No. 11, pp. 187-196.
Silva, S. and Couto, M.J. (2023), “Gender bias in the hospitality sector: female and male jobs”, in Richards, G. (Ed.), Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Tourism Research, ICTR 2023, Academic Conferences International Limited, Reading, UK, pp. 292-297.
Timmins, B. (2021), “Little change in gender pay gap over past 25 years, study finds”, BBC News, available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-58958661 (accessed 1 June 2025).
Xiong, W., Chen, S., Okumus, B. and Fan, F. (2022), “Gender stereotyping and its impact on perceived emotional leadership in the hospitality industry: a mixed-methods study”, Tourism Management, Vol. 90, 104476.

Tools

CORE (COnnecting REpositories)

The University of West London

Beyond the “Broken Rung”: a multi-level analysis of gender bias in male-dominated hotel management roles.

Abstract

Downloads

Actions (login required)

Menu