Gender equality: caught between policy reforms and manager beliefs

Sustainable development has gender equality as one of its primary objectives. Although many countries have implemented policy changes aimed at addressing gender inequality, the issue of limited access to employment opportunities for women remains prevalent. This study investigates (1) the underlying beliefs held by hotel managers regarding the hiring of women, (2) the role of different pressures in increasing women participation, and (3) potential conflicts between policy reforms and manager beliefs. Three studies on the hospitality sector in Egypt were conducted using a mixed-methods approach. The first study involves interviews with 32 managers, the second is a quantitative analysis of data from 200 managers, and the third consists of in-depth interviews with 20 experts. Our findings demonstrate: (1) thirteen key female-hiring beliefs, which inform hotel managers’ hiring decisions; (2) perceived policy pressures play a significant role in the hiring of more women, but managers’ attitudes remain the most important determinant; and (3) four conflicts between policy-level reforms and managerial beliefs may arise, attenuating female hiring. This research creates a scenario-based model and proposes potential remedies.