A gender analysis of intercultural sensitivity among flight attendants

Authors

Abstract

Due to the nature of gender as a social construct, it is commonly believed that women are more sensitive than men and are therefore more suited to certain employment positions, such as those customer facing roles in the hospitality industry. Little empirical evidence supports this idea, but this commonly held assumption may be part of the reason why flight attendants are predominantly women. To test intercultural sensitivity between women and men flight attendants, this paper explored intercultural sensitivity in a sample of 204 flight attendants in the Middle East. According to the results, women expressed more intercultural sensitivity in four out of five factors. These findings should help airlines design training for flight attendants, where they may have to undo gender.

Author Biographies

Alzbeta Vreckova, Middlesex University Dubai

Alzbeta Vreckova is a recent Middlesex University graduate with a Master's degree in International Tourism Management. Alzbeta currently works as an international flight attendant for one of the prominent airlines in the Middle East and has over ten years of experience in the hospitality and tourism industry.

Cody Paris, Middlesex University Dubai

Cody Morris Paris is the Deputy Director for Academic Planning and Research and Associate Professor of Social Science at Middlesex University Dubai. He completed his PhD from Arizona State University, and is a research fellow at the University of Johannesburg.

Heather Jeffrey, Middlesex University Dubai

Heather Jeffrey is a lecturer in social sciences at Middlesex University, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Heather's research interests lie in tourism and social inequalities, and her PhD research focused on women and tourism in Tunisia.

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Published

2020-12-31

How to Cite

Vreckova, A., Paris, C. and Jeffrey, H. (2020) “A gender analysis of intercultural sensitivity among flight attendants”, e-Review of Tourism Research, 18(3), pp. 363–374. Available at: https://ertr-ojs-tamu.tdl.org/ertr/article/view/726 (Accessed: 25 April 2024).

Issue

Vol. 18 No. 3 (2020): Special Issue: ERPBSS 2020- Sustainability, Mobility, and Opportunity

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Articles

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