Beyond the Job Description: Gendered Expectations in Tourism and Hospitality Work
International Conference of Applied Business and Management (ICABM), Porto, Portekiz, 25 - 26 Haziran 2026, ss.1, (Özet Bildiri)
- Yayın Türü: Bildiri / Özet Bildiri
- Doi Numarası: 10.58869/icabm2026
- Basıldığı Şehir: Porto
- Basıldığı Ülke: Portekiz
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.1
- Akdeniz Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Abstract
Purpose: Working conditions in tourism and hospitality are deeply integrated
with culturally shared gender schemas rather than solely formal job
descriptions. These schemas attribute different psychological characteristics
to individuals, causing professional competencies to be interpreted through
gender biases (Cobo, 2014; De Miguel, 2015; Alarcon & Mullor, 2018).
The labor-intensive tourism sector often views female
labor as "an extension of domestic labor," stereotyping cleaning,
service, and care tasks as "feminine" and devaluing their
professional quality (Alarcon & Mullor, 2018). Conversely, hierarchical
upper echelons are associated with "masculine" competition, creating
structural barriers for women (Costa et al., 2023). Furthermore, female
employees face expectations of aesthetic and emotional labor (patience, adaptability)
beyond their job descriptions, where their performance is often judged by
conformity to feminine norms rather than just technical skills (Cave &
Kilic, 2010). Traditional family roles also frame women's presence in flexible
tourism roles as a societal issue. Consequently, gender discrimination is
constructed not only through segregation but via implicit expectations
permeating everyday labor processes.
Methodology: This study adopts a qualitative research design using
semi-structured, in-depth interviews to examine how gender roles and societal
perceptions determine the job descriptions of young, part-time tourism
employees in Antalya, Turkey. To strengthen methodological justification and
address the specific dynamics of the hospitality sector, purposive sampling was
employed. The sample was composed of undergraduate students aged 18–30,
representing the younger generation entering the labor market. The inclusion
criteria strictly targeted entry-level, part-time, or seasonal service-tier
workers (with no managerial or supervisory roles) employed across various
hotels in Antalya. This sampling rationale allowed the study to capture the
experiences of individuals either at the very beginning of their hospitality
careers or working purely for supplemental income, a context where structural
gender-coded labor is highly prevalent.
Data collection was carried out between March and
April 2026 within the Antalya at locations suggested by the participants. A
total of 10 interviews were initially conducted; however, two interviews with
female participants were excluded from the final analysis due to unexpected
interruptions, resulting in a final analytical sample of 8 participants (4 men
and 4 women).
The interview protocol consisted of two sections:
demographic characteristics (e.g., age, department, parental education) and
work-related experiences (e.g., employment motives, formal job descriptions,
and unwritten, gender-coded duties or social pressures). The transcripts were
independently analyzed by two researchers using thematic analysis to identify
recurring patterns and core themes regarding the gendered division of labor in
hospitality organizational contexts.
Results: Findinds reveal a deeply institutionalized,
gender-bifurcated division of labor within the hospitality context,
characterized by asymmetric modes of labor legitimization and parallel
processes of naturalization. First, the entry of the younger generation into
the workforce is governed by starkly distinct gendered justifications. While
male participants legitimize their employment through economic necessity, skill
acquisition, and a normative transition to adulthood, female participants must
navigate rigid structures of social control. Women frame their labor
participation through the lenses of family approval, stringent safety concerns,
social acceptance, and the perceived moral "suitability" of the
workplace, indicating that young women's labor in tourism requires a higher
threshold of societal justification.
Consequently, identical formal job descriptions produce
divergent de facto responsibilities. Male workers are funneled into tasks
requiring physical stamina, which is naturalized as an innate masculine duty,
masking structural exploitation. Conversely, women experience a profound
integration of emotional and aesthetic labor, mandated to display compliance
and strict bodily propriety. Organizations naturalize this as an "inherent
female disposition" rather than a professional skill set. This
dual-tracked naturalization renders entry-level labor invisible and imposes a
structural glass ceiling from the very onset of professional life.
Conclusion and Originality:
This study demonstrates that the division of labor in
hospitality is a culturally constructed process driven by implicit gender
schemas rather than biological necessity, enriching segregation discussions
with aesthetic and emotional labor theories. Framing female labor as an
extension of domestic work confines women to undervalued background roles,
while justifying men's physical tasks through "natural endurance"
masks structural exploitation for both genders. By focusing on young,
entry-level workers in Antalya, the research highlights how these inequalities
and early "glass ceiling" effects are internalized at the very onset
of professional life. To foster genuine equality, enterprises must discard
assumptions of gendered physical strength or innate feminine temperament.
Instead, task distribution should rely on technical competence and fair
rotation. Furthermore, emotional and aesthetic labor must be formally
recognized as trainable professional skills to ensure fair evaluation and
compensation. Organizations must also cultivate transparent, ethical
environments to help young women overcome societal barriers like safety concerns
and the need for family approval. Ultimately, true gender equality requires
transforming these ingrained symbolic expectations from the lowest echelons
upward, rather than merely addressing managerial segregation.
Keywords:
Gender, Tourism and Hospitality, Gendered Labor,
Workplace Inequality