Gender Equality in Tourism Employment in Europe: A Quantitative Analysis of Employment, Contract types, Wages and Leadership Gaps from an SDG Perspective

Mónica Méndez Diaz

doi:10.14198/INTURI.30790

Autores/as

Mónica Méndez Diaz Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, España https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9298-3048

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14198/INTURI.30790

Palabras clave:

Igualdad de género, empleo en el sector turístico, trabajo digno, crecimiento económico, mercados laborales de la UE, mujeres en puestos de liderazgo, análisis cuantitativo

Resumen

This study analyses gender imbalances in the tourism sector across twelve European Union member states, focusing on three key dimensions: wage gaps, contractual stability, and representation in leadership positions. Framed within the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 5 – Gender Equality, and SDG 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth), the research underlines the sector’s responsibility to promote equitable and inclusive labor conditions.

Using a quantitative approach based on harmonized secondary data from Eurostat, ILOSTAT and the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), the study compares socioeconomic inequalities across national contexts and identifies persistent patterns within the EU tourism industry.

The results reveal a complex and paradoxical picture. Women account for nearly 60% of the tourism sector’s workforce; however, systemic inequalities persist at the operational level: they earn lower hourly wages than men and often work under temporary, part-time, or atypical contracts, which increases their economic vulnerability. At the same time, women now hold most executive and management positions in 10 of the 12 countries analyzed, suggesting that barriers to accessing leadership roles are disappearing.

The study concludes that the increased visibility of women in leadership is, by itself, not sufficient to close structural wage gaps or improve contractual security. Therefore, targeted public policies and transformative management practices are required to ensure that advances in women’s representation at the top translate into substantive equity and decent work throughout the tourism employment hierarchy.

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