Gender equality: caught between policy reforms and manager beliefs

Figures & data

Table 1. Common female-hiring beliefs (N = 32).

Categories		Modal beliefs	%
Behavioural beliefs	Advantages	1. Engagement with (female) guests.	34.4
		2. Provide a good image.	32
		3. Create a diversified workforce.	32
	Disadvantages	4. Face work-life imbalance.	34.4
		5. Cannot work under pressure.	28
		6. Cannot work night shifts.	25
Normative beliefs	Key references	7. Colleagues.	31
		8. GM/top management.	25
Control beliefs	Facilitating conditions	9. Suitable vacancy.	25
		10. Management support.	31.8
	Hindering conditions	11. Poor working conditions.	50
		12. High family responsibilities.	25
		13. Lack of qualified female workers.	25

Note: Each model belief exceeded the 20% threshold.

Figure 1. Conceptual model.

Table 2. Means, standard deviations for study variables.

	Mean	SD
Attitude^a	5.61	1.34
Intention^a	5.03	1.76
Subjective norms^a	5.57	1.29
Perceived policy pressures^a	4.08	1.77
Subjective norms^a	5.32	1.26
Behavioural belief^b	7.63	5.58
Normative belief^b	9.29	7.88
Control belief^b	6.94	6.18

^a Theoretical range = 1–7;

^b Theoretical range = −21 to 21.

Table 3. Reliability and validity indices.

Factor/Items	Factor Loadings	Cronbach’s Alpha	CR	AVE
Attitude (ATT)		0.946	0.943	0.769
ATT1	.908
ATT2	.823
ATT3	.934
ATT4	.912
ATT5	.801
Subjective Norms (SN)		0.934	0.929	0.686
SN1	.865
SN2	.860
SN3	.829
SN4	.828
SN5	.819
SN6	.765
Intention to hire more females (INT)		0.965	0.966	0.904
INT1	.913
INT2	.958
INT3	.980
Perceived Behavioural Control (PBC)		0.832	0.847	0.653
PBC1	.850
PBC2	.905
PBC3	.647
PBC4	Dropped
Perceived Policy Pressures (PPP)		0.720	0.725	0.571
PPP1	.685
PPP2	.820

Table 4. The square root of the AVE and inter-construct correlations.

	PPP	SN	PBC	INT	ATT
PPP	0.756
SN	0.434	0.828
PBC	0.389	0.775	0.808
INT	0.494	0.746	0.694	0.951
ATT	0.305	0.813	0.666	0.706	0.877

Note: Square root of the AVE is on the diagonal and in bold.

Table 5. Path coefficients (β) and hypotheses testing.

		Path coefficient (β)	T Statistics	p values	Results	R^2
H1	BB -> ATT	0.905	10.014	0.000	Supported	.824
H2	NB -> SN	0.971	9.842	0.000	Supported	.961
H3	CB -> PBC	0.804	4.948	0.000	Supported	.656
H4	ATT -> INT	0.298	3.337	0.000	Supported	.649
H5	SN -> INT	0.244	2.421	0.015	Supported
H6	PBC -> INT	0.240	2.979	0.003	Supported
H7	PPP -> INT	0.211	3.337	0.000	Supported

Table 6. Potential conflicts and remedies.

Potential conflicts	Selected beliefs	Potential remedies
Policy-belief conflict (i.e. increasing female participation contradicts gender beliefs).	Female employees are seen as less hard workers than males. Female employees cannot work night shifts. Female employees cannot work under pressure.	Cultivating positive beliefs about female employees and altering negative ones through gender equality ambassadors and training programmes that raise awareness and understanding of unconscious biases and their effect on decision-making. Support from upper management provides social approval for intermediate managers to hire more female employees. Emphasising the value of a more diverse workforce and praising female workers’ accomplishments.
Policy-operation conflict (i.e. increasing female participation contradicts current operation realities).	Poor working conditions in hotels. Lack of qualified female workers. Only certain jobs are suitable for women.	Accommodation support can help women overcome barriers, particularly in isolated tourist places like Sharm El Sheikh. Developing a female-friendly culture that values diversity and inclusivity and provides opportunities for mentoring and continued professional development. Training programmes could foster a culture of successive planning in which women can advance across departments and jobs.
Policy-society conflict (i.e. increasing female participation contradicts society’s beliefs).	Working in hotels is (perceived as) shameful. Females are seen as wives and mothers with high family/home responsibilities.	Industry image – planning broader country-level measures to improve the industry’s image in society. Education – developing a comprehensive equality, diversity, and inclusion curriculum to assist students to immerse themselves in a gender-neutral work environment. Work-life balance and family-friendly policies that include men (for example, creating a male-involved childcare policy to emphasise shared family/home obligations).
Policy-policy conflict (i.e. increasing female participation contradicts the hotel/chain policy).	Hijab restrictions. More females at management levels.	Allowing Hijab – tourism and hospitality companies need to offer flexibility for women to choose to wear a Hijab as part of their uniform. Participation at all levels – career development standards should recognise both male and female leadership qualities and encourage women’s advancement to top management positions.

Figure 2. Intersections between positive and negative female hiring beliefs and policy implementation.

Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.