Gender discrimination and sexual harassment as experienced by hospitality-industry managers

This article reports on research that explored perceptions of gender discrimination and sexual harassment directed toward managers in the hospitality industry. Of 613 responses (of which 58 percent were women), 80 percent of the male respondents and 90 percent of the female respondents believe that gender discrimination occurs frequently, although they have different perceptions about how that discrimination is most likely to be manifested. The women reported it is most often related to promotion and salaries. The male perception of gender discrimination is that it is more evenly spread over various possibilities. Nearly a fourth of all respondents completely agree that most women in hospitality positions have been subjected to sexual harassment at work. While male and female managers hold differing opinions about how gender discrimination and sexual harassment are manifested, the data indicate that both male and female managers believe that harassment and discrimination are pervasive in the hospitality industry.