Gender equality is an issue that has persisted throughout history and pervaded the same on one level or another. Throughout much of history, men have used religion, power and influence to subjugate and limit women. One might think that such a pattern would be tapering off and going away in the 21st century and within modern times. While many countries, including the one mentioned throughout this report, have been able to advance and progress in major ways, there are still a ton of opportunities to learn and grow.
Focus of Report
This report will focus on a specific country and a specific subset of works in that country. The country in question is China and the subset of people are women that work within the hotel industry within that country. Even within other modern countries like the United States, western Europe and Australia, just to name a few, the same overall pattern of hiring in the hotel industry is very easy to see. Indeed, when it comes to jobs and positions like maids, janitorial, front desk and other entry-level or lower positions, women are extremely common to see. Indeed, there are not many male maids working in hotels, either in China or anywhere else. Conversely, the power brokers and controllers of hotels are typically men. This would include the owners, the general managers and other executives of the hotels. The non-Chinese countries are often more progressive and open-minded when it comes to women in positions of power, but even the West has the tendency to be male dominated when it comes to the higher echelons of power and China is much more patriarchal than the west in many regards.
Importance of Topic
The topic at hand in this report is important for the same reason that gender equality in general is important. Men and women, both being human beings, deserve equal status and opportunities when it comes to financial, job and business opportunities. However, that has never been the case, even in the most advanced of countries. It is true that women have made a lot of progress around the world and this includes with China and this also includes within the hotel industry, both inside and outside of China. Equal status does and should mean equal opportunity irrespective of whether the prospect or potential hire is a man or a woman. The paradigm and situation that is in place instead is that women are often (if not usually) of lesser status and power. They are not given the same deference and respect that men are in similar situations. It is often presumed and asserted that women are of a lesser sort.
Of course, none of this is true and the outmoded ideas of the past that involve men trying to protect their power or gain more at the expense of women needs to go by the wayside. The presumption that a female applicant to a hotel in China (or anywhere else) could or would only be suited to a maid or similar role or perhaps a manager of the same is a stereotype and sexist assumption that needs to be disregarded and condemned. Whether it be in China or anywhere else, both women and men should be equal footing and there should be no disregarding or denigration of either group based on gender or the traditional roles of the same. If a woman wants to be a career woman and aspires to be something other than a maid in the context of a hotel job situation, she should not be denied that for any reason relating to her gender. That is not the norm right now but it does need to become the norm, however long it takes and no matter how much effort it takes. In many to most cases, it will take laws and government intervention to truly get the point across (EOC, 2017).
Definition of Gender Equality
While already touched upon in the prior section, it is important to truly define and drive home what gender equality really means. In keeping with good scholarship and ensuring that the proper sources are used for this task, the author will point to the teachings and words of the Oxford Dictionary when it comes to the definition of gender equality. With that in mind, the definition is pretty simple and to the point and very much matches with what has already been said. Indeed, the precise verbiage used by Oxford is “the state in which access to rights or opportunities is unaffected be gender”. A tangential item that should be mentioned, and that is present as an example on the Oxford website, is “legislation that reflected the principles of gender equality” (Oxford, 2017).
Gender Equality in Hotel Industry
Even if there are good feelings, however undermined by bigotry, when it comes to sexism, it is beyond debate to many that having a truly equal gender paradigm is a boon to things like productivity and company performance. Indeed, people in Chilean manufacturing companies saw a notable improvement when men and women were treated with equal regard as it related to job positions and who got promoted. This was something that emerged and was sustained over time rather than just being a microcosm in time or with a particular company (Ruohan & Xueyu, 2016). Conversely, the presence of gender inequality, even in roles or jobs where what women do or do not do (and the same for men) is firmly established causes a great amount of psychological distress and other problems. It is to the extent that it is upheld by extensive statistical review and research and that research was conducted over a sustained time horizon. IT affects and leads to changes in mental health for both men and women. Medical professionals and experts have looked at this hard enough to ascertain that health policies at the government and company level need to be revamped and changed so as to protect and improve the mental health status of all employees, with women being the most susceptible when it comes to gender discrimination (Elwer, Harryson, Bolin & Hammarstrom, 2013; Geoffroy & Chamberland, 2015).
Even if the Chinese government were to assert itself further and more completely when it comes to gender discrimination, truly getting rid of it all will take changes and updates at the company and corporate level as well. Even if the prevailing norms and attitudes of the society and the government are against gender inequality, the companies that employer the women who are being treated poorly and in a discriminatory fashion will not truly gain freedom until the relevant hoteliers and other employers acquiesce to the idea that women deserve equal footing and opportunities when it comes to jobs and moving up within the firm. Such progress and gains have been seen in earnest even in developing countries and this includes areas like India. Indeed, women are entering and progressing through the India workforce in “unprecedented” numbers and this is in large part because the employers of the nation are very much becoming a part of the solution rather than dragging their feet and otherwise inhibiting the growth and opportunities for women. Even with the cooperation of the India industrial complex, the laws of the nation being updated and enforced has contributed to the same. Even so, laws can only do so much and it takes a cultural and industry change at the employer level to truly get things going for the better and to keep them that way (Jaising, 2014). Another part of the solution, rather than the problem, is for women to rise up in terms of activism and speaking out so as to demand the equal footing they desire and to do so in a way that explains and educates rather than use the coercion or even the violence that they are sometimes subjected to. This general approach has been used in the country of Indonesia, a country that is not far geographically from China, and it has yielded a good amount of success (Ford, 2008).
The limitations that are present when it comes to legislation and other governmental efforts are easy to see around the world, including both the East and the West. Indeed, there are wage gaps to this day in the United States and Australia and this is true even with laws that have been meant to address precisely that issue. Even so, there are some that say that there are other explanations and causes of gender pay gaps that having nothing to do with discrimination. Whether that is true remains to be seen (Chang, Connell, Burgess & Travaglione, 2014; Charlesworth & MacDonald, 2015; Sutherland, 2015).
Further, any approach to gender equality should not be adversarial or “getting even” in nature. Rather than accost people who have not been part of the problem, any man or woman that wishes to enforce the idea that men and women should get equal standing should be embraced and made part of the movement. Any woman who assumes a man is part of the sexist and discriminatory culture with no evidence is not helping their cause. The spirit of partnership and cooperation is not new as it was present between Anna Doyle Wheeler and William Thompson in the 1820’s (Jose, 2015). Just one reason why the law may not be the reason for the gaps is that women often are more oriented towards job flexibility and work statuses other than part time. Indeed, a woman that is concerned about being available to deal with a sick child may not be ready or willing to commit to a rigorous work schedule that would be typical for an executive or higher-level manager at a Chinese hotel (Lyonette, 2015; Smit, 2011; “Gender Role Disruption”, 2011). Another consideration is that the traditional norm when it comes to households is to have a “bread-winner” and a homemaker. Quite often, the man of the house is the former and the woman is the latter. When that normal course of things changes and there is a dual-earner or dual-career household, things become much more complex very quickly (Wheatley, 2013).
One concern and issue that has to be addressed when it comes to improving the career prospects and quality for women in the Chinese hotel industry is how precisely to address the problem. Indeed, there is a drawback to calling out gender equality directly and working directly from that perspective when it comes to fixing the problem. If that is confusing, that is not to be mocked or impugned. Indeed, the aforementioned “score-settling” or anything similar to the same can be problematic because there is something to be said about engaging in a policy of gender equality without making it clear in clear terms that is what is going on. In other words, picking the right candidate irrespective of the gender of the people involved is a good thing but overtly mentioned or covering gender when it comes to the response is less than wise. To use a related example, mentioning race was not a factor in a hire, whether the minority in question was the beneficiary or not, when it is not mundane to who was chosen and why can lead to suspicion, right or wrong (Saari, 2013). What is said or not said can alter perceptions greatly (Tomer et al, 2015). There is also the strong back and forth between continuing the fight and “finishing” the fight for equality so that everyone can move on (Pedulla & Thebaud, 2015).
Even with the challenges and issues that exist, it is clear that the Chinese hotel industry is starting to stir and evolve. One such case is the 7 Days Inn and their current innovations, as chronicles in a 2015 journal article. Among their changes were to have feedback sessions that extensively queried the feedback of the rank and file employees and this include both the men and the women employees, irrespective of their position. Indeed, there was not a focus, good or bad, on gender. Rather, there was a desire to get all relevant feedback from all corners of the employee base. Further, the management system of that chain is much more cutting edge and modern than is commonly seen in many other hotels in China (Qin, Li & Yu, 2015). In other corners of the industry, there has also been specific catering based on generational lines and differences (Yang & Lau, 2015). These more progressive ideas are necessary because so many people, including many women, are working while wearing “smiling masks”, for one reason or another (Chen at al, 2012). There also needs to be a more extensive framework so as to deal with complaining customers. It is clear that the existing framework is often deficient and the presence of gender inequality would seem to be a factor (Au, Buhalis & Law, 2014). The presence of a gender-equal workforce would also be a major selling point for customers shopping for a hotel as corporate social responsibility is taking off as a concept in China (Lo & Im, 2014). With that in mind, it can be useful to compare and contrast hotels in the East (e.g. China) and hotels in the West (e.g. United Kingdom) and internal labor markets (including the equality or lack thereof between men and women) should be one of the focal points (Fisher & McPhail, 2011).
Reflection
When it comes to personal reflection, I would offer the personal lessons and outcomes that I will seek or point to during my career:
Just like with a man, I’m not a better person for a job because I’m a woman. I wish to be considered on the merits as to whether I’m the best person for the role. If I am not the best person and gender or family issues are not a consideration, then I can live with that. I just want an equal chance.
In keeping with the last point, gender should not be an issue when it comes to business or hiring decisions. If the person can do the job and do it well, then they should be hired. If that means a man wants to be a maid or a woman wants to be an executive, it will not sway me in the least if that is not the “traditional” or “normal” way of doing things. Whether the person does the job they were hired to do and/or whether they have the requisite attitude and experience is the only real question or concern that matters.
There will surely be resistance to the equality-driven attitudes above. I will push through that resistance and stand fast when it comes to my ideals and my attitudes.
There are still many people in the hotel industry, and in other corners, that have very outmoded ideas and attitudes. Some of those people are women. Regardless, that is not the way I’m going to proceed, learn and grow.
Conclusion
It can sometimes be disheartening and discouraging to see people just accept maltreatment and improper hiring or employment practices. However, it makes a lot of sense sometimes due to the power that is brought to bear. The key is to put forth the right attitude and pattern of behavior. As noted before, it is about doing the right thing and not about getting even.
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