Women 1st

Empowering the female leaders of tomorrow

Women are the backbone of the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism industry, making up nearly 60 per cent of the sector's workforce – but only 6 per cent of senior board executives, half the national average.

Women 1st wants to change this...

• By bringing together employers, women managers and entrepreneurs to provide engaging and practical examples of how to overcome barriers to employing more women in senior position

• Through a new programme of government funded mentoring and personalised training which supports a group of the sector's brightest female junior managers to fulfil their potential, supported by the Women and Work Sector Pathway initiative.

• By recognising the achievements of up and coming female industry leaders through the sector-focused Shine Awards.

• By campaigning for industry to recognise the significant loss of trained and skilled talent that occurs when women lack the right support to overcome some of the challenges they face in their careers.

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Foreword

Over 50% of the people who work for leisure or hospitality organisations are women, but very few make it to senior positions let alone to company boards.

This isn't because they lack the skills, motivation or tenacity but because there aren't enough senior roles that offer them the flexibility they need.

This new initiative by Women 1st is exactly the kind of forward thinking approach we should all encourage. By offering more support to women through mentoring schemes and career development initiatives I hope we can start to address the gender balance across the sector, helping women achieve their potential.

That's not just better for women, but it's good for the industry.

Margaret Hodge MP, minister for culture, media and sport

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Background

Industry research within the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism (HLTT) industry proved to be a catalyst for the Women 1st programme.

People 1st's ‘State of the Nation 2009' report highlighted that nearly 60% of the HLTT industry workforce are female yet very few are employed in senior positions. The proportion of female managers has dropped from 49% in 2004/2005 to 46%. Only 6% of hospitality company directors are women.

Whilst many women progress to supervisor or unit manager level, few are currently able to make the step up to the next level. Major employers have cited a steady decline in the number of women employed in area manager positions upwards.

Only 5 of the sector's FTSE 100 employers have female directors on their board, three of whom took up their positions last year.

Recent research by the University of Hertfordshire and talent management company, Shine People and Places looked at why so few women are advancing into senior roles within the industry. Career breaks due to childbirth and childcare, and combining work with family and personal responsibilities were seen as the main explanatory factors for relative female under-representation.

Almost half (41%) of respondents agreed that women's progress within the sector is hampered by a lack of mentors and obvious female role models and a substantial number agreed that in some cases the existence of a male culture and the attitudes of some managers are holding women back.

Did you know...

• 40% of the industry's management vacancies were classed as hard to fill.
• Many women working part-time are working below their skills levels due to the limited availability of part-time/flexible work in more senior roles.
• A third of working mothers move down the career ladder after having children and 21% change employer within nine months of returning to work.
• The sector still struggles to attract the large number of undergraduates (women now account for 60% of the graduate base) who work in it casually into viewing HLTT as a career option on graduation.
• Within the HLTT sector, women make 83% of the spending decisions but are not represented in many of the senior positions within the industry.
• A number of research studies have shown that organisations with significant numbers of women in their senior teams do better on a number of organization performance measures, including innovation, good governance and financial results, relative to their sector competitors.

View the Women 1st fact sheet for more details.

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Women 1st – Programme details

Women 1st comprises the following activities:

• Step Up – a continuous professional development programme aimed at equipping potential female leaders with the confidence and skills they need to succeed.
• Leadership network – establishing a strong mentoring network which supports women in their careers, including one-to-one mentoring with the sector's highest performers.
• Regional Connects – locally hosted informal, part social, part educational events with inspirational speakers sharing their success stories.
• Best practice examples – sharing the best examples and case studies of employers and individuals who have found practical and engaging ways to encourage women to fulfil their career ambitions within the sector
• The Shine Awards – sponsorship of the Shine Awards which recognise women's achievements within the HLTT sector

To find out how you and your business can be a part of the Women 1st programme, call 01895 817000 or email: women1st@people1st.co.uk