While things are finally starting to change and organisations such as AIHM are helping to make a difference in Thailand and beyond, the lack of female leaders in hospitality is still a crucial problem. As you read this article, you might be asking yourself, why is a man writing about the lack of female leaders in hospitality?
At AIHM, one of the core teachings is that of equality and diversity. For equality and diversity to work, it must come from everyone, and as a male, we must play our part in this conversation as well.
Having just taught the Practical Arts kitchen module, where students delve into the key figures from the history of cuisine, I was reminded of how it is traditionally men who dominate the industry—from Carême to Escoffier to, of course, the renowned Gordon Ramsay.
Why? Well, there are a multitude of reasons, but one main factor is the stereotype of females in the kitchen. For women, kitchen work is stereotypically a chore, a daily routine, unpaid labour to provide for the family. For men, it is a career, an enjoyment, a passion.
Since coming to Thailand, one thing that has impressed me is the sheer number of women in the kitchen. It was really refreshing to see the significant role women play in the culinary industry here, especially at Minor Hotels. However, the world’s executive chefs still tend to be male. This is slowly changing. Some noteworthy examples include rising stars such as Anne-Sophie Pic, who currently holds 10 Michelin Stars, and Claire Smyth, a prodigy of Gordon Ramsay, holding 3 Michelin stars in her own right with her restaurant Core in London.
Photo credit: https://guide.michelin.com/fi/en/article/people/maison-pic-anne-sophie-pic-michelin-star-inspiration-1
Photo credit: https://www.hublot.com/en-gb/news/hublot-welcomes-three-michelin-star-chef-clare-smyth-friend-of-brand
Women Leaders in the Business World
If we consider the hospitality industry as a whole, the statistics are eye-opening. According to multiple reports, a slight to significant majority of the hospitality workforce is female. A Working Paper by the ILO’s Bureau of Gender Equality, authored by Professor Thomas Baum, put the number of women in the hotels, catering and tourism industry at 55.5 percent globally and up to 70 percent in some world regions. If you look at hotels, you find substantial female representation in areas such as housekeeping, front office and food and beverage.
The situation is very different though when you look specifically at leadership positions. In the United Kingdom, only 25.5% of senior management places are held by women. In the United States, that number drops to 22%. If we consider seats on Boards of Directors, females hold 28% of the leadership in the UK and 23% in the US. Reviewing these numbers, we can see that only about a quarter of leadership positions are held by females. Yet they represent the majority of the workforce.
Luckily, Thailand is a global frontrunner in the push for female leadership in the private sector. Grant Thornton’s 2022 Women in Business report notes that 29% of Thailand’s CEOs are female, compared to the global average of 26%. While we should be happy to see that women in Thailand enjoy greater opportunities to rise to the ranks of senior leadership, we can’t ignore the low overall numbers. The situation is becoming more equitable, but the progress is slow, and we have massive room for improvement.
What Drives the Gender Disparity in Leadership Positions?
Based on my own research and exploration of the gender imbalance in hospitality leadership, I propose that there are four major factors.
- The hospitality sector’s focus on operations, with the ensuing high demands on employee time
This factor highlights the important issue of work-life balance and how expectations are often different for men and women. There are unspoken (and sometimes spoken) assumptions about the time commitments and priorities of women compared to those of men. If a woman can take time off to give birth, raise a family and juggle work, why are there are still questions about her abilities? Having come through the Covid pandemic, we are finally starting to see more of a shift in the mindset of work-life balance.
- Conscious and unconscious bias in the hiring of like-minded masculine leaders.
When the board is controlled by men, they will tend to hire similar males, with the same leadership styles. This is a circle that needs to be broken.
- Lack of equality in the talent pipeline, leading to females getting “stuck”.
Women tend to be directed more to senior roles in HR and similar “people skills” sectors, whereas men lead in sectors such as finance, which are often deemed to be a more essential or more prestigious business area, leading to more opportunities for career success and advancement to a company’s highest leadership levels.
- Lack of celebrated female role models
And we come full circle, back to the example of celebrity chefs. We need more senior females shouting out from the roofs, leading the next generation. And we need more men to help showcase these females.
A Call to Action
It is up to all of us to empower women to step forward and lead. We all need to encourage and nurture talent and recognise the potential of what lies inside everyone. No matter what our gender is, we must take an active role in shifting the industry toward a more just and equitable leadership dynamic. Only by doing this can we break the ceiling and work towards true equality.
I’d like to leave you with one last fact to digest. In business, to be successful you need to know your customer. Well:
- 80-85% of travel decisions are made by women.
- Women make up 2/3 of all travellers.
Why on earth are there not more females in the lead, when the buying power is clearly managed and controlled by women?
Stay On Top of Hospitality Industry Intelligence
AIHM is passionate about empowering the female leaders of tomorrow, connecting them with strong role models and helping them build the industry connections that will propel their careers. Follow AIHM on LinkedIn to stay on top of the latest industry intelligence and opportunities.
In addition to training the hospitality industry’s future leaders through our hotel management degree and hospitality administration courses, we also invite working professionals to benefit from our experts’ knowledge through the AIHM Executive Education programme. Choose from a variety of weekend professional development courses as well as customised trainings.
