Gender inequality in tourism: women in the working environment in Brazil

Abstract

Gender inequality is a central problem in society. Despite the importance of the topic, there is little information about the condition of women in Brazilian tourism. This article aims to fill this gap by characterizing women's professional participation in tourism in Brazil. Therefore, the proportion of women in different areas of professional life in tourism is analyzed, including training, educational background, employment in different activities and professions, entrepreneurship, and positions of power. The salary of female workers is compared to men's salary concerning different variables, including economic activity, region of the country, age, and race. Statistics are produced through the processing and consolidation of eight large secondary databases and other specific data sources. The statistics describe the scenario of gender inequality in Brazilian tourism with unprecedented degrees of detail, scope, and representativeness. The results show that women are the majority in tourism. The proportion of women is higher in activities and positions traditionally associated with womanhood and the household, such as lodging and food services. However, women are under-represented in positions of greater power and income.

Keywords
Gender; Discrimination; Gender pay gap; Glass ceiling; Labor market;; Brazil