Let’s not just ‘talk’ about it: reflections on women’s career development in hospitality

Purpose This article aims to provide an action-orientated reflection for promoting gender equality in hospitality, based on Bradley’s (2013) approach that considers the operation of gender in the “production” and “reproduction” spheres of social life. To that end, it reflects on women’s career development in hospitality based on the Western perspective. Design/methodology/approach A two-stage thematic analysis of a public research seminar on gender issues in tourism and hospitality were employed to explore issues of women’s career development within the intertwining spheres of “production” and “reproduction”. Findings Three themes, namely culture of an open dialogue, bringing men into the equation, and educating the future workforce emerged from data to propose new insights on “what can be done” about gender equality in tourism and hospitality, including practical suggestions for transformations of gender relations in organisations. Implications This paper contributes new knowledge on women’s career development in the hospitality industry by proposing recommendations to address gender gaps including fostering a culture of an open dialogue based on an inclusive listening environment, recommending changes to organisational policies and culture, and integrating the subject of gender into tourism and hospitality curriculum. Originality/value By proposing a sociological perspective of gender in hospitality employment informed by Bradley (2013), this study challenges traditional masculinity and the long-standing gender labour division through education, organisational and daily practices thus tackling fundamental gender issues