The sexual harassment of women in the hospitality workplaces

Conference: Council for Hospitality Management Education (CHME) 2025

Dates: 20/05/2025

Publication Date: 19/05/2025

Abstract:

This study provides a unique insight into the experience and impact of sexual harassment on female employees working in the hospitality industry. The evidence suggests that sexual harassment is a pervasive problem in hospitality settings; however, it continues to be a silenced phenomenon. Therefore, there remains much to be understood about the experience of sexual harassment faced by women working in the hospitality industry and its possible impacts on their personal and occupational lives. The findings suggest that sexual harassment in hospitality workplaces is complex and multifaceted and has the potential to pose a significant threat to female employees’ well being. Hospitality organisations exhibited two main responses to sexual harassment: a proactive management approach that directly addressed reported cases and a passive approach where incidents were inadequately acknowledged, addressed, or acted upon, effectively ignoring the harassment. This study underlines the gendered spaces and perspectives of the hospitality workplace, combined with tough and precarious working environments and high levels of interaction between employees and customers, which fosters the risk of sexual harassment. In addition, social and cultural expectations, traditional roles and values and power dynamics in social settings play an important role in individuals’ experience and perception of workplace sexual harassment. The findings further demonstrate that the impact of sexual harassment can extend beyond the workplace, permeating women’s personal lives and affecting their intimate relationships, career trajectories, and financial well-being. This research, therefore, extends knowledge of the experience of sexual harassment in hospitality work environments.

Source: Manual