Gender Segregation in Hospitality Sector – Extent and Consequences

Hospitality is one industry in which women are   preferred and are   found in large members.  However allocation of responsibilities and privileges in hospitality organisations appear to be not in consonance with their indispensability to this industry, as evidenced by high rate of turnover and lower participation in  decision making process And disadvantages they could be facing at work due to segregation.   Present study investigates into the extent and implications of such gender based segregation in hospitality industry, specifically focusing on hotels and restaurants.  Data are collected from a sample of 56 ITDC recognized hotels and 48 restaurants in cities of Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai in South India employing a survey and interview schedule.  The analysis indicates to definite patterns with regard to gender segregation of roles, responsibilities and wages at the intermediate levels where women staff tend to be concentrated.  Their salaries do not commensurate with duties they perform. Such segregation follows no predictable pattern at lower levels where women staff is in minority. Further, positions at higher levels involving responsibilities and decision making tend to be monopolized by their male counterparts. It is the women staffs who are made to face and absorb the idiosyncrasies of the clients, who are mainly strangers, requiring them to work under stress, strain and risk.  The findings further indicate that the extent of segregation appears to vary significantly with the size and sector of the establishment and the negative implications of such segregation appear to be more marked in smaller private establishments.