Are we being served? Women in New Zealand's service sector

Abstract

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to provide contemporary information and analysis of women's location within the service sector of New Zealand; to evaluate the responsiveness of two major policy initiatives designed to ameliorate women's circumstances therein; and to reconceptualise and suggest possible approaches and measures which could inform future government and workplace policy and practice. Design/methodology/approach -The study primarily employs a thematic analysis of publiclyavailable reports, documentation and pertinent academic work. Secondary, independent statistical analyses of nationally-representative data are used in order to provide the context and rationale for the policy analysis, and to overview key trends and "problem" areas in the service sector for working women in New Zealand. Findings -New Zealand has a high female labour force participation rate, with more than eight out of 10 female workers employed in service work. Although women remain over-represented in low-paid work, they have benefited from service sector growth, higher penetration of professional and managerial work, and some reduction in the gender pay gap. State interventions are justified in equity, labour market and welfare terms, with an emerging focus on "decent work" and productivity. Yet, this analysis of key initiatives for working women reveals an inadequate regulatory and policy framework. The significance and "genderedness" of service work to the economy means that it is increasingly but still insufficiently the focus of economic and social policy. Originality/value -This study responds to the absence of a contemporary and comprehensive assessment of the location and inequities experienced by different groups of women in New Zealand's service sector, particularly M% aori and Pasifika women. It provides a springboard to further analysis of the key trends, themes and policy impacts that it highlights, as well as of a reconceived regulatory approach for women working in the service sector outlined in the Concluding section.

Sustainability and the Tourism and Hospitality Workforce: A Thematic Analysis

“…Critical gender scholars, such as Holvino [34], observe that it is not possible to separate gender from color when considering women's participation in employment. This intersection is visible in New Zealand, where a disproportionately high number of Māori and Pacifica women occupy the lowest strata of service sector jobs [35] and where, in hospitality, European men are more likely to hold senior leadership positions [36,37]. Therefore, being a woman and/or belonging to a minority ethnicity group appears to negatively impact women's career possibilities and promotional processes, and stereotypical views on suitable roles penalize women and privilege men in the sector [38].…”

The value of indigeneity in the tourism and hospitality industry in Aotearoa – manaakitanga

“…Indeed, analysis of the engagement of Māori women in the hospitality industry, for example, shows that there are distinct inequities in employment [5]. While these inequities are not unique to tourism and hospitality, the evidence shows that Māori women in service-sector employment, such as hospitality, are disproportionately represented in low paid, lower skilled, precarious work [6]. It is a paradox that Māori women's contribution as the face of the industry is not associated with decent work and career progression.…”

The Intersections of Gender with Age and Ethnicity in Hotel Careers: Still the Same Old Privileges?

“…In New Zealand at micro‐level, empirical data on how gender or ethnicity influences individual career progress in tourism career paths is sparse; however, previous studies (for example, Mooney and Ryan, ) suggested that sexist and ageist attitudes influence individual career outcomes in New Zealand and Australian hotels. Ethnic minority women occupy a disproportionate number of the lowest paid jobs in the country's service sector (Parker and Arrowsmith, ) and the accommodation and restaurant sector continues to be female dominated at the lowest levels (Statistics New Zealand and Ministry for Women, ). Regrettably, little attention has been given to making overt the power relations in hospitality workplaces (Kensbock et al , ; McIntosh and Harris, ) or taking an explicit intersectional approach to better understand the underlying questions of difference, privilege and penalty (Lutz et al , ; Tatli and Özbilgin, ) that influence career progression in specific sectors.…”