33 out of every 100 workers in tourism are women; the goal is to raise female employment above 50%...
At a panel organized by TÜROB, the goals of raising the proportion of female employees in the tourism sector above 50 percent and increasing the share of women in company management came to the fore.
Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Özgül Özkan Yavuz said, “Ensuring women's participation in the labor force and equality of opportunity in our country is one of our most important goals.” The panel titled ‘The Role of Women in the Tourism Sector and Equality of Opportunity in Tourism,’ organized online by the Association of Turkish Hoteliers (TÜROB) — which stands out for the number of women in its leadership — on the occasion of March 8 International Women's Day, was held. Speaking at the opening of the panel, Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Özgül Özkan Yavuz stated that our country's ambitious development goals can only be achieved if women take a greater part in economic and social life, adding, “In Turkey, the rate of women's participation in the labor force has risen to 34 percent in recent years. Our goal is to reach 41 percent by 2023. To this end, numerous efforts continue at all levels of our state.” Yavuz noted that tourism offers women far more opportunities, both as employers and as employees, than other sectors.
Eresin: A 20 percent increase with flexible working
TÜROB President Müberra Eresin, speaking at the panel moderated by Handan Boyce Danışmanlık Founder and MPI Türkiye Founding President Handan Boyce, pointed out that women make up 54 percent of the tourism workforce worldwide. Eresin said: “In Turkey, this rate in tourism is 33 percent. In accommodation, which constitutes the largest share of employment in tourism, the proportion of women is 35.6 percent. Our goal is to raise this rate above 50 percent. In the accommodation sector, women hold less than 40 percent of management positions, less than 20 percent of general management roles, and less than 8 percent of board positions. Although female employment is high, the employment areas are mostly at the lower levels. Moreover, the average wage of women is lower than that of men. At the national level, when gender-sensitive and egalitarian policies are effectively implemented, the economic empowerment of women in the tourism sector — and thus the strengthening of the sector — will be achieved.”
Eresin emphasized that if the necessary legal regulations regarding the flexible working system were enacted, female employment in the sector would increase by 20 percent. Touching on the short-time working allowance, which was set to end on March 31, Eresin pointed out that this arrangement should be extended in tourism, and that if it were not extended, female employees were at high risk of being the most harmed.
An exemplary practice at NG Dekor and NG Lojistik
TÜROB Vice President and NG Hotels Chairwoman of the Board Hediye Güral Gür also said in her speech at the panel, “There is no job that women cannot do. They just need to want it and to be given the opportunity.” Gür pointed out that they had implemented an exemplary practice at the group's NG Dekor and NG Lojistik factories, where the entire workforce of 287 people — from technical staff to management, from accounting to forklift operators — consists of women. Noting that there are male-dominated areas in tourism, Gür said, “We need to examine why there are fewer women in these areas.”
Yallagöz: Women make a difference
TÜROB Vice President and Yaşmak Hotels Chairman of the Board
Taner Yallagöz, citing an example from his own business, pointed out that higher customer satisfaction is achieved in departments where women predominate. Saying “Tourism needs women's power,” Yallagöz remarked, “Unfortunately, female employment is not at the desired level.”
A notable rise in senior positions at Hilton
TÜROB Vice President and Hilton Worldwide Türkiye Regional Director Armin Zerunyan stated that as the Hilton Group they had brought all their global practices to Turkey as well, saying, “I can say that we have been successful in this regard. For instance, in higher-level positions requiring a high level of education, such as directorships, our proportion of female employees in our hotels in Turkey is between 60 and 65 percent. Overall, our proportion of female employees in Turkey is around 35 percent. We have also begun to have female managers in some departments that could traditionally be described as male-dominated, such as technical or security. We find this promising for the future. Our goal is to raise our overall proportion of female employees to 50 percent.” Stating that they had also launched programs to support women outside the company, Zerunyan noted that through the ‘Local Cuisine, Global Flavor’ project, they cooperate with cooperatives in various provinces and make use of the products made by women in their kitchens.
Vocational training for women victims of violence from Accor
TÜROB Board Member and Accor Hotels Türkiye Vice President for Operations Orkun Petekçi recalled that the Accor Group was one of 10 global companies that signed an agreement to expand the UN's ‘He for She’ campaign, saying, “Everywhere we operate, we carry out efforts to make this project recognized and to spread it.” Petekçi stated that a program was in place, particularly at their hotels in Turkey, providing vocational training to women victims of violence regardless of their level of education.
Dedeman: Real equality in every field
TÜROB Board Member and Dedeman Hotels & Resorts Chairwoman of the Management and Executive Board Banu Dedeman emphasized that in order to achieve true gender equality, equality must also be ensured at senior management levels, saying, “Companies with a high number of women on their boards have higher performance and ethical reputation and lower rates of corruption. A high number of female employees positively affects company profitability.”
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