A recent survey found that the travel industry has a long way to go when it comes to gender equity.
The 2019 Phocuswright Gender Equity Study found that "despite progress at senior levels, women remain significantly underrepresented," and that "a 'broken rung' at the step up to manager is the biggest obstacle that women face on the path to leadership."
In fact, Phocuswright research shows that women find bias among management is one of the biggest obstacles preventing them from reaching leadership positions.
When asked "What are the biggest obstacles that people in the travel industry must overcome to rise to leadership positions?" both men and women indicated that one of the greatest obstacles was the "absence of a plan (leadership track) to cultivate talent." This was something that concerned around 70 percent of both.
However, just under 40 percent of men felt that bias among management was an issue while nearly 60 percent of women felt it was a problem.
Approximately 50 percent of both men and women also found that lack of sufficient management training was an issue for advancement but many more women felt hindered by work-life balance. Around 45 percent said that it was an obstacle while just over 30 percent of men felt the same.
Interestingly, women did not feel that their skills were an obstacle while men did. Just around 20 percent of women noted insufficient skills versus around 35 percent of men.
Phocuswright shared the data from the survey at the company's third Women's Leadership Initiative session held during The Phocuswright Conference in Florida, which offered some solutions to the issue women in the travel workplace are feeling.
Intent CEO Richard Harris, a Phocuswright LeadHER advocate and panelist at the session, noted that their needs to be a diverse slate of candidates to create an inclusive culture.
"There's always this trade-off you hear about, particularly in technology - which I think as a leader you have to reject-and that trade-off is, 'Wait a second, if we are going to try to form a diverse and inclusive team, are we going to lower our standards?' I hear that all the time and you have to reject that from the outset because it is just false," said Harris.
Beth Taylor, ATPCO director, head of marketing and a LeadHER advocate also said that it's important to look beyond the travel industry.
"You can build industry experience. I'm in my third year, and I can talk dynamic offers with the best of them. You need to find smart people and bring them into the room," said Taylor.
Indeed, there is a growing desire for more intangible skills in the workplace. "When asked, "as technology continues to expand in every business, do you believe intangible skills (e.g., leadership, innovation, creativity, teamwork, problem-solving, flexibility) are becoming more or less important to the travel industry?, 83 percent replied that these skills were more important. Just 5 percent of respondents found them to be less important and 11 percent indicated their value was unchanged.
Beyond hiring diverse candidates, advancement remains a problem.
The survey found that more than 40 percent of respondents said there was no formal track or program in place for career progression and just under 40 percent said that development opportunities exist, but the individual needs to actively engage and pursue them. Just over 10 percent of respondents said that their companies provide programs but just for top-performers. Fewer than 10 percent said their company offered programs for advancement.
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