Abstract
The term ‘glass ceiling’ is used to describe the abstract factors that affect women’s career progression. The literature review examines the factors purported to constitute the ‘glass ceiling’ phenomenon. Since the 1950s, the number of women in the workplace has increased substantially on a worldwide basis, and the role of women in society, and in the workplace, has therefore changed, with it still continuing to evolve. Women are no longer viewed as being only homemakers and caregivers. Having claimed their rightful space in the workplace, they have, over the years, had to exert every effort to achieve equality and parity within the workplace. As yet, only a limited amount of scholarly work has been undertaken in the South African hospitality industry, so that the underlying aim of the current study was to add to the existing body of knowledge on the glass ceiling phenomenon. The study was, therefore, located within the South African hospitality industry, with a particular focus on four hotel groups’ hotels in Gauteng, where the primary aim was to investigate different perspectives on the glass ceiling phenomenon in the aforementioned context. The objectives of the study were to establish whether or not the glass ceiling exists in the South African hospitality industry, and whether it is a result of either intrinsic or extrinsic factors. The researcher adopted a mixed-methods approach, with the primary data required being obtained by means of the administration of a questionnaire survey, as well as through interviews that were conducted with the key informants. The study population comprised of individuals in lower to senior management positions, this included line managers, middle managers and senior/departmental managers. The sample for the questionnaire respondents was arrived at through the use of snowballing - a non-probability sampling method, the sample comprised of lower to senior management personnel and the sample size (n) was 150. ..
M.A. (Tourism & Hospitality)