Socially and historically constructed pattern of power relations between men and women, establishing a hierarchical difference between them and between definitions of masculinity and femininity. It is present in the society as a whole and is usually regarded as the result of natural, biological differences, rather than the result of a historical construction.
Published in Chapter:
Gender Awareness and Women Managers in Tourism: Perceptions of Inequality and What Could Be Done
Inês Carvalho (Universidade Europeia, Portugal), Carlos Costa (GOVCOPP, University of Aveiro, Portugal), and Anália Torres (University of Lisbon, Portugal)
Copyright: © 2019
|Pages: 21
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-5225-9171-9.ch011
Abstract
The purpose of this chapter is to reveal women top-level managers' gender awareness in relation to two aspects: 1) perceptions of discrimination and 2) views of what could be done towards gender equality (by the state, organizations, and women themselves), so that more women can advance their careers. Women top-level managers in the Portuguese tourism sector were interviewed. The interview data suggests that discrimination might still be pervasive in the Portuguese tourism industry. However, many women do not perceive it as “real” discrimination and have contradictory discourses about it. Informants were also asked what could be done so that more women advance in their careers. They place the solution to the problem of gender equality mostly in women's hands. While some of the strategies proposed by women confront the gender order, others align with the status quo by ensuring that women “fit in” without challenging existing structures.