Incorporating a Gender Approach in the Hospitality Industry

There is a significant lack of women in top management positions and on boards of directors in the hospitality industry. The purpose of the study conducted by Segovia-Pérez et al. (2019) is to gain an understanding of the development of women’s careers from a gender approach. There are three questions the authors are trying to answer. First, how can a gender approach increase the perception of women’s position in the hospitality industry? Next, what social and individual factors can affect females’ progress in career? Finally, which industry-specific factors have an effect on their progress?

It is qualitative research, though the authors admit that using a mixture of methods would enhance “both the research process and the reliability and generalizability of the findings” (Segovia-Pérez et al., 2019, p. 191). The conceptual framework of this research is “Gender as a Social Structure in the Hospitality Industry” (Segovia-Pérez et al., 2019, p. 188). The authors analyze the data they managed to gather and offer their ideas and several suggestions for future research. The methodology of the study is based on “thirty semi-structured in-depth interviews with female executives in the Spanish hospitality industry” and their analysis (Segovia-Pérez et al., 2019, p. 184).

As a conclusion, the authors claim that the key factors that hinder achieving gender equality are the problems related to gendered organizations, issues associated with work-life conciliation, gender roles, and self-imposed barriers (Segovia-Pérez et al., 2019). Though this is a thorough study that contributes greatly to the solution of the problem, its limitation is the fact that the researchers did not use a mixed approach. However, it is useful for my research topic about the lack of mentorship of African American women because this article provides the reasons for the inability to come to gender equality in mentorship and leadership.

Reference

Segovia-Pérez, M., Figueroa-Domecq, C., Fuentes-Moraleda, L., Muñoz-Mazón, A. (2019). Incorporating a gender approach in the hospitality industry: Female executives’ perceptions. International Journal of Hospitality Management 76, 184–193.