The president of Barrhead Travel has addressed gender imbalance in the industry and said more needs to be done to promote equality.
Jacqueline Dobson made the pledge today on International Women’s Day, which places a spotlight on gender equality, bias, stereotypes and discrimination with the aim of making the world more diverse and inclusive for women.
Dobson said the sector must find a way to “defeat” inequality at the senior level of the industry, where the majority of prominent roles are filled by men.
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Dobson said: “Women form the backbone of the travel industry – yet there is still a stark imbalance at board level. There seems to be a sticky middle management obstacle that is not yet being addressed across many organisations.
“We must find a way to defeat this and ensure that gender diversity at senior level is the norm and not the exception.
“The young, ambitious women starting out in their careers today need to know that the glass ceiling is a thing of the past and that progression is available to all – irrespective of background, gender, race, beliefs or education. As leaders, we have a duty to the next generation to demand better.”
Recent World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) research found women make up 54% of the global tourism workforce but are often in low-skilled or informal work, and have fewer opportunities for education and career development.
But Barrhead bucks the trend with a leadership team formed predominantly of female employees.
“I am fortunate to be surrounded by incredibly strong women at Barrhead Travel where our senior leadership team is over 70% female,” added Dobson. “But, I’ve encountered my fair share of challenges because of being a women in business and have been witness to peers (both in and out the industry) who have faced unfair obstacles and discrimination.
“I will always be a voice for equality and my pledge to the industry is to continue championing, mentoring and supporting the women around me.”
The UNWTO has new guidelines designed to allow businesses and governments to better cater for the needs of women working in the industry.
Discussing the new guidelines, director of Murray Travel, Sarah Murray, said: “During the pandemic, women disproportionately lost their jobs as businesses were affected, and these new standards for the industry look to redress that imbalance.
“These plans also aim to improve job prospects for women in the travel industry, allowing more female staff to make the step up to management and leadership roles.”