While the tourism sector in Asia-Pacific may be a major employer for women, who make up 53 per cent of the total industry workforce, social-cultural traditions have deterred many others from joining the industry.
Conservative societal expectation and norms in the region prioritise women’s roles within the family, where women are the default spouse or parent responsible for fulfilling domestic and caregiving roles, according to a UN Tourism report.
The UN Tourism Regional Conference on the Empowerment of Women in Tourism in Asia and the Pacific was held in Bali, Indonesia from May 2-4 (Photo: Tiara Maharani)
Speaking at the 2nd UN Tourism Regional Conference on the Empowerment of Women in Tourism in Asia and the Pacific in Bali recently, Prachi Thakur, technical coordinator of the conference, emphasised the need for education on gender roles – specifically the fact that no one gender is built for a specific job – and to break the belief that women should not consider unconventional jobs.
Mariyam Nasheetha Nasheed, deputy minister of the Ministry of Tourism of Maldives, also highlighted the challenge women face in their career after getting married or having children, as traditions expect them to give up on their jobs.
“We are trying to address the issue by formulating specific policies, like introducing a friendly environment (and) workplace for women, which aim to retain women in the industry,” Mariyam added.
Meanwhile, World Women Tourism co-founder Nisha Abu Bakar opined that other factors preventing women from joining the tourism industry are low salaries, gender discrimination, lack of career growth, and even sexual exploitation.
Nisha stressed the need for “a concerted effort to support zero tolerance (towards) discrimination” as well as strong policies that protect women in the workforce if the industry hopes to attract more female workers and professionals.
While the tourism sector in Asia-Pacific may be a major employer for women, who make up 53 per cent of the total industry workforce, social-cultural traditions have deterred many others from joining the industry.
Conservative societal expectation and norms in the region prioritise women’s roles within the family, where women are the default spouse or parent responsible for fulfilling domestic and caregiving roles, according to a UN Tourism report.
Speaking at the 2nd UN Tourism Regional Conference on the Empowerment of Women in Tourism in Asia and the Pacific in Bali recently, Prachi Thakur, technical coordinator of the conference, emphasised the need for education on gender roles – specifically the fact that no one gender is built for a specific job – and to break the belief that women should not consider unconventional jobs.
Mariyam Nasheetha Nasheed, deputy minister of the Ministry of Tourism of Maldives, also highlighted the challenge women face in their career after getting married or having children, as traditions expect them to give up on their jobs.
“We are trying to address the issue by formulating specific policies, like introducing a friendly environment (and) workplace for women, which aim to retain women in the industry,” Mariyam added.
Meanwhile, World Women Tourism co-founder Nisha Abu Bakar opined that other factors preventing women from joining the tourism industry are low salaries, gender discrimination, lack of career growth, and even sexual exploitation.
Nisha stressed the need for “a concerted effort to support zero tolerance (towards) discrimination” as well as strong policies that protect women in the workforce if the industry hopes to attract more female workers and professionals.