From role incongruity to androgynous leadership: women managers’ experiences in Turkiye’s hospitality industry

Purpose This study examines the persistent underrepresentation of women in senior leadership positions within the hospitality sector, despite their significant presence in the workforce. Grounded in Role Congruity Theory, it explores how female hotel managers in Türkiye, Trabzon province perceive and enact their leadership roles amid gender-role expectations. This study aims to reveal whether these women experience identity-based tension between their gender and managerial responsibilities, arguing that they adopt adaptive, androgynous leadership styles to assert professional legitimacy while navigating social and organizational norms. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative phenomenological approach was used to gain deep insights into lived experiences. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 14 female hotel managers operating in Trabzon, Türkiye. The interviews were thematically analyzed to identify recurring patterns and strategies used to cope with gender-role expectations. Findings The findings reveal that women perceive their leadership styles as distinct from those of men. Female managers emphasize communication, empathy and support, while male leaders are viewed as more task-oriented and authoritarian. Participants indicated that initial career challenges diminished over time and that their gender and managerial identities became largely compatible. Women consciously combine feminine and masculine traits, fostering an androgynous leadership style. Key strategies for success include emotional balance, goal orientation, and working harder than male counterparts. Originality/value This research offers novel insights by focusing on a less-studied geographical context – Trabzon in the Eastern Black Sea region of Türkiye – and by integrating both Role Congruity Theory and androgynous leadership frameworks. It highlights how women leaders negotiate gender-role expectations in male-dominated contexts, enriching the gender and leadership literature through a distinctive regional lens.