Running

head: THE GLASS CEILING AND OCCUPATIONAL SEGREGATION

IHMN455 Assignment 1 The Glass Ceiling & Organizational Segregation Team 2 Royal Roads University Summary of Research

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Introduction The glass ceiling and occupational segregation has been prevalent over the last few decades, affecting many women around the world. Women are having a difficult time achieving executive level positions in many industries, and the hospitality industry is not an exception. Although women are very much capable of performing the same jobs as men, having the same training as education as them, it seems that there still is a discrepancy in men to women ratios in the boardroom. After looking at news and other articles, watching videos, examining cartoons, researching foundations and writing a research brief on the topic of glass ceiling and occupational segregation, the focus being women; the findings show the concerning gap between women to men at higher level positions in the hospitality industry, along with other industries. Discussion The summary of all the sources regarding the glass ceiling and occupational segregation topic will be provided, in order to identify the main reasons behind the occurrence of the matter. Summaries of sources Newspaper articles. The three newspaper articles researched had similarities regarding the idea of glass ceiling and occupational segregation that women are facing in the hospitality industry. The main ideas consisted of the fact that although there is a difference in the ratios of men to women at the executive level, there has been improvement over the last 20 years in equality. Women use their nurturing side and excel in positions of sales and marketing, while men dominate the business and financials due to their ability to not allow emotions to get in the way. There seems to be an increasing interest for gender diversity for boards and the amount of female leaders. It is proven that women are graduating college and university at a higher rate than men. Overall, the main points drawn from all three newspaper articles was the idea of

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industries, including hospitality, which are slowly changing the stereotypes, and are closing the discrepancy gap that women once faced in the work place. Women are appreciated for their nurturing ability, and have increasing opportunities to become leaders and be part of boards across Canada. Although men are still dominating the executive level positions, women are catching up on their own merits, and not just by filling up required quotas. The newspaper articles investigated were recent, from the years 2012 to 2013. Video. The video explored was of an interview with Aly Shariff, Senior Vice President, Operations (South Asia and Asia Pacific), Premier Inn Hotels. In the interview he shared his views about women and men having the same abilities, however, women are taken less seriously in the workplace regardless. Stereotypical position requirements exist in the hospitality industry, and are gender biased. Aly Shariff suggested that women face different social pressures relative to men, maternity leave being one of them. He believes that legislation has gone too far in keeping women on maternity leave out of the loop. He stated that some organizational segregation does exist at Premier Inn Hotels, however progression exists. Aly Shariff believes it is a crying shame that women are not fairly represented in todays workplace, since it builds up a dynamic relationship in the organizations, and without women, a large portion of society is underrepresented and can be of a detriment to a business. A good balance of genders enables better decisions to be made since there are different perspectives to be taken into consideration, which have proven to be positives. The video of Aly Shariff proved that occupational segregation does unfortunately still exist in the workplace, but equality among men and women is becoming more prevalent, as businesses are finding more ways to maximize their solutions for the existing problem.

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Cartoon. The cartoon chosen to inspect regarding glass ceiling and occupational segregation was a perfect illustration of the problem at hand. The cartoon portrays women that are below a glass ceiling, unable to advance in the work place. Men are looking down at the women suggesting that women are below them, at a floor level, resulting in the belief that women are not on the same level or equal to men. The cartoon suggests the harsh reality that still continues to exist in many industries, including hospitality, which is the idea that women are not at the same rank as men. The glass ceiling continues to exist and is impeding women to succeed at work, as illustrated in the cartoon. Research brief. The written research brief resulted in an in-depth investigation of the term glass ceiling and how it is affecting women currently in the hospitality industry. The research brief proved the occupational segregation that occurs from the belief of men and women not being equal, and not able to perform the same required tasks. Findings showed the difference of gender representation in certain positions within the hospitality industry. Different departments are dominated by men, and women are finding it very difficult to penetrate that dominance, especially at higher levels. The hospitality industry provides women with positions that appear very stereotypical of gender, and it creates further inequalities in the workplace. The research brief provided a good understanding of why and how the glass ceiling and occupational segregation occurs in the hospitality industry. Furthermore, the research brief provided evidence that strengthened the other sources looked at ,such as the newspaper articles and videos, which suggested the improvements currently being implemented in organizations to avoid the continuation of women being treated unfairly in the workplace, specifically in the hospitality industry.

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Articles. The three articles chosen provided interesting facts regarding the topic of glass ceiling and occupational segregation. One of the articles suggested that those women that make more financially than their partners, cause tension in the relationship, therefore some women prefer making less money in order to avoid conflict. Another article showcased the partnership with Amway and Microsoft, to provide women with their own leadership conference, which has never been done before, further proving that organizations are switching their mindsets, and are embracing the women in the workplace, acknowledging their strengths and skills. The final article investigated, provided statistics of women in leadership roles around the world, and finding suggested that there are still inequalities and uneven ratios of men to women at higher level positions. The three articles suggest different views of the reasons that are creating the glass ceiling and occupational segregation, and provided more insight on the topic. Professional organization. The professional organization chosen for the topic of glass ceiling and occupational segregation that women are facing in the workplace is the Womens Empowerment Principles by United Nations. The website provides an in-depth explanation of the seven principles. Also, it provides women that are passionate about their careers, resources, statistics and many other helpful tools, which help motivate women all around the world achieve career success. This website is a positive and encouraging resource, and has potential to change the way women are treated in the hospitality industry, regarding occupational segregation. Conclusion All of the sources gathered and dissected, to answer the question of why women are facing a glass ceiling occupational segregation in the hospitality industry, provided insightful knowledge on the subject. After the research conducted, there are many reasons why women are continually being treated unfairly in the workplace, and the main two reasons are stereotyping

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and passed practices. Women are considered unable to perform the same tasks as men, therefore they are limited to achieving top level positions, although statistics prove that women are just as qualified, if not more than men in some instances. Womens natural inclinations, such as nurturing behaviours, are proven to be effective in organizations, as they provide a much needed balance, yet some companies still view womens emotions as a drawback and a negative. There are many findings from the research conducted to suggest that slowly but surely women are able to achieve top level positions in the hospitality industry, however, discrepancies and hurdles still exist for many women. Many organizations are implementing solutions which benefit and allow women to maximize their potential and achieve total career success. Women have proven for years that they are equal to men, and the glass ceiling and occupational segregation are unfortunate issues in the hospitality industry that suggest that women are still struggling to prove their worth.

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References Breaking the glass ceiling. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.hotelnewsnow.com/articles.aspx/8353/Breaking-the-glass-ceiling Gender roles: When women dare to outearn men | The Economist. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.economist.com/blogs/freeexchange/2012/12/gender-roles In Top Public Sector Jobs, Women Still Lag - Businessweek. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-04-30/in-top-public-sector-jobswomen-still-lag To get more women on corporate boards, Canada must be bold - The Globe and Mail. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/careers/careeradvice/life-at-work/to-get-more-women-on-corporate-boards-canada-must-bebold/article11580193/ UN Women | Women's Empowerment Principles. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.weprinciples.org/ When Amway and Microsoft Team Up For Women's Leadership, the Sky's the Limit - Forbes. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/annedoyle/2013/04/15/whenglobal-powerhouses-amway-and-microsoft-team-up-for-womens-leadership-theskys-the-limit/2/ Why Women Will Lead the Corporation of the Future. - Friday, 13th April 2012 at 4Hoteliers. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.4hoteliers.com/features/article/6769 Women in the Hospitality Industry: Does the Glass Ceiling Really Exist? An interview with Aly Shariff. on Vimeo. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://vimeo.com/43818610 Retrieved from http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/gll/lowres/glln50l.jpg

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