Female Employment Patterns in the Tourism Sector

Abstract

Tourism has a strategic position in terms of production and employment, and stands out as a labor-intensive and feminized sector when examined in terms of employment. Asia-Pacific and Caribbean, Europe, and America come to the fore as geographies where female employment is very intense. This chapter strives to examine women's employment patterns in the tourism sector in the world, both in terms of regions and in the period before and after the pandemic. It is observed with the study that horizontal and vertical discrimination in the sector is quite evident. While women concentrate mostly in labor-intensive, low-paid, and informal jobs, their presence in jobs requiring high qualifications is extremely low. On the other hand, precarious employment of women as unpaid family workers is quite common. The Covid 19 pandemic has also adversely affected the female workforce. As the pandemic has increased inequalities in the sector, the hard-earned gains of women have also been eroded.