Women’s Role And Position In Hospitality
Xuan Thu started at the front desk of Victoria Resort in Can Tho, located at the southern end of Vietnam, and worked her way up to the very top. In a year, she was made Front Office Manager and within another four, she was promoted to Room Division Manager. Nine years after her first foray, she locked in the General Manager (GM) position.
For Xuan Thu, who hails from the small town of An Giang, her career advancement has not been easy, having to go against what is expected of women, especially in the Asian context. From her experience, the main barriers to increasing womens representation in leadership positions are the lack of work life balance in the demanding sector and societys perception of women in hospitality.
There are few female GMs in this sector. The first challenge is time, as this job demands a lot of working hours and an irregular working schedule. It is difficult to balance personal life and work. The second is the negative perception towards women in the sector, especially in rural areas.
