This research aims to highlight the importance of promoting and protecting women’s dignity at work in the hospitality and tourism sectors as a key component of achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 5 (gender equality) and 8 (decent work). It seeks to map the existing literature to examine the factors that promote women’s dignity. Previous research on dignified and decent work has largely overlooked the integration of a gender perspective in studies of workplace dignity. This research contributes to the existing body of knowledge by addressing this critical gap in the literature.
This research systematically reviewed the literature and conducted a conceptual analysis of dignity and gender-related themes in hospitality and tourism.
The findings reveal the key factors that influence women’s dignity at work. Several challenges in tourism research on women's workplace dignity are identified, including an overemphasis on qualitative methods and a geographical imbalance in the literature. A critical and comprehensive research agenda is provided to guide future research.
This paper highlights the link between SDGs 5 and 8 in addressing women’s workplace issues in hospitality and tourism. It emphasises the role of managers and organisations in promoting respectful, gender-sensitive practices through training, values and Human Resources (HR) systems, thereby improving employee well-being, ethical work environments, retention and workforce sustainability.
The originality of this paper lies in its emphasis on the importance of a distinct conceptualisation of dignity at work from women’s perspectives. Previous research argues that tourism scholarship has been significantly gender-blind and should consider distinct gendered experiences, as women’s experiences in tourism work differ from men’s and are shaped by gender.
