| Summary: | High levels of female employment and occupational segregation according to gender are significant features of the contemporary hotel industry. This is demonstrated through an examination of official employment statistics. However, the extent of sexual divisions within hotels is revealed to be far greater, the more detailed the level of analysis. This thesis is a study of the ways in which gender segregation is reproduced and maintained on a daily basis within the workplace. Particular attention is paid to that which is specific about the hotel industry. Key features identified are: the complexity of working-time arrangements; the existence of departmental divisions and elaborate occupational hierarchies; the presence of customers and the personal service nature of the industry; the superficial similarity with certain household tasks; and the informality of employee relations. This is the context in which gender segregation is reproduced. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with personnel managers and other workers at a number of hotels, selected to cover a range of different types of establishments. These interviews provided detailed information on the practices, processes and structures which contribute to the reproduction of a sexually divided workforce. No single factor was identified as responsible for upholding gender segregation and inequality within hotels. Significant and contributory factors identified include: the gendered assumptions which underpin working-time arrangements; the relationship between 'skill' and the sex-typing and valuing of jobs; the ways in which patriarchy operates within the workplace; and the impact of managerial practices.
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