Women play an important role in hospitality. In the lodging industry, they account for over 50% of the employees, but very few of the executive positions. The numbers are better in the food service sector: restaurants seem to provide more opportunities to women of all ages and stages of the careers. 61% of all adult women have worked in a restaurant at some point in their lives and women-owned restaurants are growing at a faster rate than restaurants in general. 

In the hotel industry, many of the most successful organizations are team-oriented. Leaders of teams need to be comprehensive thinkers, skilled at building work relationships and fostering collaboration… traits that are frequently associated with women’s management styles. “Transformational Leadership” characteristics provide vision and inspire a sense of purpose in others. Typically, women emphasize both interpersonal relationships and a focus on tasks, whereas their male counterparts are more focused on just the task. Women offer a more democratic style than men and are more effective communicators.

Some of the lack of promotion opportunities for women has been generational. Traditional gender roles have assumed that women will only work for a portion of their careers before they start a family and shift their focus to child care and will possibly be unable or unwilling to work long hours and variable shifts. While that’s still true, younger employees are focused on their long-term career prospects and are increasingly ready to shift to companies where they will enjoy salary equity and where gender-related workplace challenges are being addressed.

Women managers are often excluded from the informal networks that shape recruiting decisions. Senior leaders fail to recognize the need to develop their junior colleagues and neglect to provide mentoring opportunities. At the same time, women are less likely than men to take risks, accept new challenges and promote themselves in ways their male counterparts recognize. The current systems and reward structures are typically set up to ignore the care-taking functions women assume and overlook their contributions to organizational health and effectiveness.

So… What are some solutions for success?  

Gradually, the industry is improving its ability to develop and retain current and future women leadership in several ways. First and foremost, hospitality and restaurant companies could benefit from examining their internal hiring processes and uncover those that foster implicit gender stereotypes. Are women held to different standards?  What assumptions are being made that need to be tested? Are job descriptions, workloads and expectations explicit and clear?

Women are more highly represented in the sales and marketing sectors… what about Profit and Loss responsibilities as well as Investment and Development? These are areas where women are less likely to be promoted. Yet the perspective women bring is valuable and different than men. Women who have reached the GM position still find they are often the only female in the room. In general, these women have shared that you have to be comfortable and confident and push yourself to network. 

Another female exec that has been in the industry 30 years explains that it has been a challenge, and she advises that “you cannot take things to heart.” You’ve got to be hands-on and get used to working a lot of late hours.  She considers it a “lifestyle,” not a job. She mentors a lot of women in the business and believes there is a strong pipeline of women on their way up. The mentoring concept is critical and it really does help you move up.

It’s a part of our culture that has to change. We have to change the way we raise our kids and value their skills, both men and women. Most of all, it’s worth it. Companies with women CEO’s have proven they can outperform those led by men. Women are gaining the confidence to put themselves out there and apply for positions where they feel they have less than a 100% of the skills… men do it all the time.

Women in hospitality leadership are still a minority, yet they represent more than half the workforce. But the right type of leadership matters. Research shows that female leaders are often more effective than male leaders as their transformational styles lead to effectiveness, greater employee satisfaction and improved motivation… and that leads to success.