Gender and the glass ceiling in tourist guiding: An examination of women tourist guides professional experiences

Purpose: Tourism is one of the most important sectors for countries due to its positive economic impacts.Employment holds a special place within these economic impacts.The fact that the tourism product is service-oriented and therefore labor-intensive makes tourism employment even more significant.The existence of many different job sectors in tourism leads to the employment of people with very different characteristics and skills in the tourism sector.Furthermore, tourism has significant power in combating gender inequality, a major social problem, particularly in the area of female employment.In this context, this study aims to examine the gender-based problems experienced by female tourist guides within the framework of the glass ceiling syndrome, based on their professional roles.Design/methodology/approach: Using qualitative research methods, interviews were employed as the data collection tool.Data was obtained from a total of 21 female tourist guides to answer the research problem.Content analysis was used in the study, and evaluations were made based on a total of six research themes.Data analysis was performed using the MAXQDA program.Results: According to the results of the study, gender bias, customer bias, and career barriers were identified as problems faced by female tourist guides, showing interrelationships.Discussion: The research supports existing studies in the literature that conclude that female tour guides have higher levels of professional acceptance and commitment compared to other areas of the tourism sector, but also reveals gender-based inequalities in terms of occupational biases and career barriers.