Closing the gender gap requires tackling structural barriers, improving access to opportunities, and sustained commitment - Get updated on what's happening in tourism!

Songül Göktas-Rosati has made it. As managing director of the tour operator Bentour Reisen, she is one of the few women in Germany who has worked her way to the very top of the tourism industry. Her position is the result of a career that the manager wants to be seen as an inspiration for other women: “Unfortunately, there are too few women in tourism who can serve as role models. We need to work on that,” says the managing director. In her leadership role at Bentour, she therefore works specifically to support women who are searching for the right path through the career jungle. “We need to build our self-confidence and support one another,” emphasizes Göktas-Rosati in a podcast interview.

The Dilemma of Part-Time Work

The need for such support for women is undeniable in the tourism industry. While the travel sector offers a wide variety of jobs, fields of activity, and opportunities for advancement—making changes in industry or position often seem easier here than in manufacturing or the financial sector— Yet the risk of hitting a dead end during one’s career is far greater for women in tourism than for men. Among the biggest obstacles are the lack of work-life balance, as well as the continued dominance of traditional gender roles in many organizations. The problem is not new: Many career-oriented women, after starting a family, initially seek to re-enter the workforce through a part-time position—a decision that subsequently tends to slow down their career development in the long term. “Although these women originally had other plans, many then remain at the counter,” observes Claudia Brözel, professor of tourism economics at Eberswalde University of Applied Sciences. The structural characteristics of certain segments of the industry exacerbate the problem: shift work, weekend work, and seasonal employment make balancing family and career more difficult than in other professions—circumstances that disadvantage women all the more when they still have to shoulder the bulk of care work.

Care Work Becomes a Career Hindrance

According to a survey conducted as part of a master’s thesis for Eberswalde University of Applied Sciences, 46 percent of the women surveyed stated that equal opportunity in tourism either does not exist at all or exists only if they have no children (41 percent). Only 13 percent believed that equal opportunity is guaranteed regardless of whether they have children. “The implicit expectation that women should put their careers on hold in favor of care work is still prevalent in many tourism organizations,” criticizes Brözel.

But the obstacles women must overcome on their way to the top go beyond that. International research on the topic reveals extensive barriers. And this despite the fact that the travel industry is driven by women more than other sectors: Globally, women account for over sixty percent of the workforce in tourism. In Germany, their estimated share is seventy percent. At the CEO level, however, their share internationally stands at a modest five percent. Top female executives such as Barbara Muckermann, the first female CEO of the Kempinski Group, Ariane Gorin, CEO of Expedia, and Wendy Olson Killion, CEO of the travel platform Rome2Rio, are shining exceptions in a global industry that remains dominated by men. In Germany, too, despite years of gender equality initiatives and legislative measures, women’s careers are the exception rather than the rule. According to research by the trade publication FVW, the proportion of women in leadership positions varies widely, ranging from fifty percent at companies like the Accor hotel group to barely 18 percent at Lufthansa. Across all industries, the proportion of women in leadership positions in Germany stood at around 25 percent in 2023.

Belittling as a Strategy

In the face of these structures, perseverance and resilience are virtues that women can hardly do without when planning their careers. “I didn’t necessarily have a fixed career plan. The most important thing is to remain patient, adaptable, and flexible,” Bentour CEO Göktas-Rosati sums up in retrospect. For many women, pitfalls and obstacles do not emerge only when competing for top positions, but often as early as their first major career step. It is not uncommon for them to face a combination of structural, cultural, and individual factors that are difficult to navigate at the start of a career. Systematic discrimination in salary negotiations and lower pay (the gender pay gap), or evaluation based on external characteristics rather than competence and performance, are still part of everyday life in many organizations and HR departments. Gender-specific comments from colleagues and supervisors also continue to serve to slow women down and undermine their confidence.

The Power of Male Networks

Furthermore, established male networks contribute to distorting and narrowing competition for opportunities and advancement positions. As a rule, these male networks operate informally—for example, at evening industry events, which play an important role in tourism and to which women often have less access. The consequences are obvious: the higher the positions to be filled, the fewer opportunities there are for women. Gender research has identified this phenomenon as the Thomas Cycle—named after one of the most common male first names among the Baby Boomer generation. The Thomas Cycle posits that men primarily recruit men who are similar to them and share significant similarities in terms of education and background. The higher the position, the more objective criteria are replaced by gut instinct during the hiring process. This selection principle feels rational and reasonable to decision-makers, but in reality, it is an unconscious mechanism with fatal consequences: “The Thomas Cycle leads to homogeneous executive suites, prevents diversity, hinders innovation, and systematically excludes women,” observes tourism researcher Brözel.

If women are unfamiliar with such mechanisms, they often work against them unintentionally. Women often set higher standards for themselves before applying for leadership positions—a supposedly self-imposed behavior that nevertheless reflects gender-specific socialization experiences and societal expectations. Even when women emphasize that the meaningfulness of a job is important to them, they risk falling into a trap during salary negotiations. For the other side, this is often a popular lever to reduce salary demands and cement the gender pay gap. “Such injustices cannot be resolved by placing the responsibility solely on women. Sustainable change requires the commitment of everyone, especially men. They must not only be made aware of the issue but also actively take responsibility for creating a more equitable workplace,” demands Brözel.

This is precisely where the LEAD³ project, run by the empower.today initiative, comes in. This research-backed coaching and development programme supports women in the tourism sector through coaching, mentoring and networking opportunities. At the same time, LEAD³ is aimed at managers and HR professionals to drive structural change and greater gender equality within organisations. The project is currently supporting 36 women and 12 companies on their journey towards greater gender equality.

Concrete Actions Instead of Storytelling

Women who are committed to these issues agree that companies’ statements of intent must be followed by more concrete actions: “We see more women in leadership roles—but often still too few in the most visible positions and decision-making circles. What matters is whether equality is embedded in the system: in career paths, visibility, mentoring, and fair conditions. Storytelling alone isn’t enough. We need structures that create real opportunities,” emphasizes Deborah Rothe, Director of ITB Berlin, in an interview with Business Punk magazine.

Brözel also sees plenty of room for improvement in most companies in the tourism industry when it comes to gender equality. Warm words and symbolic gestures are no longer enough. “Cultural openness is a good start, but no substitute for structure. Those who take equality seriously measure it—with KPIs, with transparent processes, with clear responsibilities. Values in practice should be translated into measurable impact,” demands the tourism researcher.

Picture Credit: © ITB Berlin