Dissertation

How gender inequality in the UK hospitality industry impacts employee motivation

Emma Carlyle - S1835545

Literature Review

Ethical Concerns & Limitations

Overview

Gender inequality refers to the unequal treatment and perceptions of individuals based on their gender (Wood, 2005). There is acts in place in the UK in order to prevent gender inequality arising in the workplace, for example, The Equal Pay Act of 1970 S1-5 states; the requirement of equal treatment between male and female employees; no gender is favoured when working in similar positions, wages are regulated and equal to each gender. However, there is proof of a pay gap in the UK (difference between men and women's hourly pay rates), in 2020 the mean hourly difference in pay between male and female employees is £1.65 per hour and the median is £4.04 (DIT Gender Pay Gap Report 2019-2020, 2020). Motivation is what energies, directs and sustains behaviour' (steers and porter 1979). Different people are motivated in different ways. Some factors are not direct motivators but when there is lack of them it decreases motivation, these are called hygiene factors. For example, inclusion and money (Herzberg 1967). Both these factors can be impacted based upon on someone's gender i.e. the pay gap . Maslow (1943) sets out a hierarchy of needs needed to motivate staff. Included in this is security, belongingness, recognition and achievement. All of which can be influenced by someone's gender i.e. women feel they don't get as much recognition as men in the workplace thus finding it hard to be promoted in job (Minor, 2020). To look at the hospitality industry is perceived as being a short term career with little career progression often with poor working conditions and little stability (Poulston, 2009). The hospitality industry is highly gendered, despite women being twice as likely to be employed in the industry when compared to others (UNWTO, 2011)). It has been found in other research carried out that there is in-fact a glass ceiling for women in hospitality as women are highly underrepresented at executive levels (Morgan and Pritchard, 2019).

Introduction The hospitality sector is the 4th biggest employer in the UK, providing 3.2 million jobs directly and 2.8 million indirectly. The sector generated £73 billion of Gross Value Added directly to the UK economy and.a further £87 billion indirectly in 2016 (The Economic Contribution of the UK Hospitality Industry, 2017). Gender inequality is the prejudicial treatment of an individual or group due to gender and allowing people different opportunities due to perceived differences based solely on issues of gender. It is generally discussed as pertaining to women, but anyone can experience gender inequality (Parziale, 2008). This research paper will focus solely on gender inequality issues faced by women aged 18-25 in the hospitality industry. Motivation is why a person does something, it is the driving force behind human actions (Cherry, 2020). It has been shown that motivation is a key aspect in how well an employee performs in work, showing higher rates of productivity and creativity (Ganta, 2014). The McKinsey and Leanin Study (2019) found that for every 100 men who are promoted and hired to manager, only 72 women are (McKinsey, 2019) Most research into gender inequality in the hospitality sector highlights the issue women face in the industry but fails to link to this staff motivation, a key factor in an organisation's success. This research will look into and aim to fill this gap in knowledge and find the link between gender inequality and staff motivation in those impacted. Aim To find how the gender inequality faced by 18-25 year old women impacts their motivation levels in the hospitality industry. Objectives 1. To examine literature surrounding proof of gender inequality in the hospitality industry UK 2. Evaluate the relationship between gender inequality and staff motivation 3. Conduct a survey with a large sample group of women to find out their experiences of gender inequality in the workplace 4. Research as to why a workplace with gender inequality would have less motivated staff 5. To conclude from the findings and make recommendations from the findings Assumptions That gender inequality will have a negative impact on motivation levels on the subject group

Due to the personal nature of some of the questions being asked regarding discrimination in the workplace there are considerations that need to be taken in order to make participants feel comfortable sharing information. The researcher will explain the topic to all participants, the research will be carried out on a purely voluntary basis and participants can withdraw at any time. In order to keep participants anonymous in research findings they will be referred to as 'Participant; A, B, C' etc.. No details will be released that could tie what they have shared to the organisation they work(ed) for - they will also not have to disclose the specific organisation to the researcher. This will help participants be more honest as there will be no involvement or mention of their workplace. A limitation of surveys and focus groups is that; The participants might not represent the full population correctly, making the information subjective. Risk of bias shown from researcher in focus group

Methodolgy

Following the structure of Saunders, Lewis, Thornhill (2007) research onion, this report will take a pragmatist approach; a theory which argues both positivism and interpretivism are possible. A mixed method approach will be used, with both qualitative and quantitative will be used in this research. A deductive approach will be used as the researcher will begin with theory, creating a hypothesis from this that can be tested to address the aim this study (Ormerod, 2010) Primary data (existing data) will be collected to construct the secondary research through case studied and past literature Secondary data (new data) will be collected through both qualitative and quantitative methods Quantitative data will be collected through a survey, a set of standardized questions given to respondents - women aged between 18-24 who had worked in bars/restaurants. This is convenience sampling as I personally fall into this category. From this a focus group will take place with 6 participants; females between the ages 18-24 who have experienced discrimination in the hospitality industry due to their gender. Allowing a guided conversation to take place about how this discrimination made them feel and how it impacted their work and motivation levels. This will collect qualitative data