During my time as a leader in the travel industry for the past two decades, the debate around gender issues in the workplace has grown from a low‐level rumble to a steady roar. The questions I tend to hear these days are less along the lines of, “Is this an issue?” and lean more toward, “How does a woman’s experience at work actually differ?”
The fact that the debate has evolved is a positive step, but there’s still a big educational piece that must be addressed: If employees at every step of the ladder are fully aware of gender biases at play, they can make a conscious effort to avoid them. If we do that, we can build more travel businesses where women can thrive in mid‐level, management and senior leadership roles.
Case in point: As a female leader, I’ve been coached many times not to “get emotional” at work. By contrast, I can’t think of a single time I’ve heard this said to a man. The term used for the same actions…