Abstract
This paper investigates what barriers are present for female managers in the organisational structure of Australian and New Zealand hotels that may delay their progress to senior management positions. Research was carried out in an international group represented by more than 30 hotels in two countries. The methodology included a survey of the hotel group‟s female supervisors and managers with 18 follow up interviews. One major issue that arose from the research was the absence of role models for women. Women managers found that the many women who have „made it to the top‟ were “childless superwomen” (Liff and Ward, 2001) and as such, unrealistic role models. These findings provide implications for hospitality management practice.
