Pergamon Int. J. Hospitality Management Vol. 16 No. 2, pp. 161-179, 1997 © 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd All rights reserved. Printed in Great Britain 0278-4319/97 $17.00 + 0.00 PII: S0278-4319( 97)00003-0 Equal opportunities for women employees in the hospitality industry: a comparison between France, Italy, Spain and the UK Jean Burrell, Simonetta Manfredi and Hilary Rollin School of Languages, Oxford Brookes University, Gipsy Lane, Headington, Oxford OX3 OBP, UK and Liz Price and Lindsay Stead School of Hotel and Restaurant Management, Oxford Brookes University, Gipsy Lane, Headington, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK This paper considers women's employment in four countries with reference to their participation in the labour force in general and in the hospitality industry in particular. Comparison is made of the factors which affect women's employment, including the legislative environment and access to training. National factors which help or hinder women "s opportunities are contrasted. The paper then draws on the results of a cross- national survey and case studies of hotels in each country to demonstrate differences and similarities in women's employment patterns. The survey shows that employers have only a limited awareness of employment legislation based on European Directives and that stereotyped attitudes still act as a barrier to the types of jobs that men and women carry out in hotels. Recommendations are made for national and company level policies and approaches to achieve equality of opportunity. © 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd Key words: women's employment equal opportunity legislation training occupation Introduction The growing internationalization of the hospitality industry means that today's managers may find themselves working in almost any area of the world. In each country cultural, political and legislative factors influence the workplace, and managers need to understand these if they are to organize and motivate the workforce to best effect. Since women make up a significant proportion of the labour force in an increasing number of countries, an 161