Metamorphosis in hospitality: A tradition of sexual harassment

Sexualisation and harassment in hospitality workplaces: who is responsible?

“…Sexual harassment is a major problem in hospitality workplaces, where one in four women are subjected to unwanted and offensive sexual behaviours (Hoel, 2002, Poulston, 2008a.…”

“…In a study of students on supervised work experience in the United Kingdom (UK), Worsfold and McCann (2000) also observed that employees may think they need to flirt or behave sexually at work, which may be reciprocated by customers. Management's high expectations of customer satisfaction can explicitly condone difficult customer behaviours, particularly in settings that offer both alcohol and anonymity (Worsfold and McCann, 2000, Pritchard and Morgan, 2006, Poulston, 2008a, Karatepe et al, 2009) such as many bars and nightclubs. Sadaraka et al's (2015) study extended Folgerø and Fjeldstad's (1995) work by showing that female dancers in the Cook Islands gradually changed their attire to become more sexually provocative, to fit in with the norms of the dancing group.…”

“…Pizam's (2008) research note on the results of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health in the USA (SAMHSA, 2008) identified female hospitality employees as those most likely to suffer depressive episodes at work. Causal work-related factors are likely to include gender-specific issues such as sexual harassment, as women are the primary targets (Poulston, 2008a).…”

“…Firstly, this was an exploratory study of 18 participants working primarily in bars and restaurants in Auckland, New Zealand. Their views may well reflect the culture and norms of a few workplaces which may be different from similar workplaces elsewhere, and most likely different from those in large and perhaps internationally branded hotels, where appearance and behaviour is more carefully proscribed, and harassment less common (Poulston, 2008a). Secondly, and most importantly, the topic of harassment is fraught with problems because of the subjective nature of the phenomenon, and like much social scientific research, research on harassment can only provide data from a particular group at a particular time, which may be different from data solicited from the same group at a different time, or even a different group at the same time.…”

A woman's place in hotel management: upstairs or downstairs?

“…Purcell's (1997) framework of horizontal and vertical segregation within the hospitality industry is clearly illustrated in the hierarchical structures of large hotels and practice continues to stereotype the roles for which woman are deemed more suitable. An additional negative aspect to women's work in hotels is that they are subject to high levels of sexual harassment from both guests and peers due to their low status and low educational levels (Poulston, 2008).…”