Through the Glass Ceiling: Challenges Faced by Women Working in the Resorts of the Maldives

Tourism is a pivotal economic sector globally, contributing significantly to the socio-economic development of many countries. However, gender disparities in tourism employment remain a critical issue, and women are often concentrated in lower-paid, lower-status jobs, facing significant barriers to career advancement. While tourism is the leading economic sector in the Maldives, only 2% of local women work in resorts, highlighting a stark gender disparity, despite an almost equal gender split in the population. This study aims to explore the challenges faced by local women while working at resorts across the Maldives, examining it through the Gendered Institutions Theory and Glass Ceiling Effect. The study employs a phenomenological narrative approach, using semi-structured interviews with nine female employees at Maldivian resorts selected through purposive sampling. While the small sample size limits the generalisability of the findings, the in-depth narratives provide valuable insights into the lived experiences of these women. Content analysis of the interviews revealed dominant challenges including gender stereotyping, discrimination, workplace harassment, biased recruitment and promotion practices, cultural constraints, and conflicts between family responsibilities and work. These findings align with global literature on gender issues in tourism and suggest that such challenges significantly hinder women’s career development and progression. Although evolving gender ideologies and increased access to education are beginning to challenge inequality in the sector, the low representation of women in resort employment underscores the need for more effective empowerment strategies in the Maldives. The findings could lead to better policy and strategy formulation to address the institutional, cultural, and interpersonal barriers persistent in female employment in the resort sector.