XV Международная студенческая научная конференция Студенческий научный форум - 2023

In modern Russian society, serious transformations are taking place not only in the social order, but also in people's consciousness. An essential characteristic of modern society is the change in the system of social roles and gender stereotypes, which represents the generation of new stereotypes and behavior patterns. But the new consciousness has not yet become entrenched in society. Gender stereotypes of the past are still not overcome, people are still guided by them, they do not seek to move away from the foundations. All in all, two main concepts can be identified, which help to explain why it is still quite difficult for society to overcome various stereotypes in its consciousness, even in already highly developed countries. The first concept is the ideology of sexism, in which understanding is focused on a person's gender rather than on his or her personality. And to the second concept is the problem of socialization: social roles are quite stable, passed down from generation to generation and fixed by society. Many of the difficulties encountered by women in employment are closely intertwined with such an area as the role of the mother. Many believe that it is women who should stay at home with the children and cannot hold positions of too much responsibility, as they have to devote more time to children, family, and everyday life

For example, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, a prominent representative of feudalism in the field of philosophy, in his search for the "natural foundations" of human nature that would justify the notion of "natural rights" in accordance with his theory of reason reflected in nature, turned to the formation of the natural qualities of man, his natural purpose. What is the natural purpose of woman? Rousseau's answer - "a woman's purpose is to please men" - became the basis of the theory of the relationship of the sexes, which for more than 200 years justified the inequality and exploitation of women. According to Rousseau, women's natural purpose is to follow their instincts to please men, to behave as men want them to behave, to shut themselves away in a world limited by domestic concerns. Politics, business, science are "unnatural" for women.

The origins of gender stereotypes and discrimination against women date back to ancient times, when women had no right to choose, no right to vote, no right to hold any position, everything in society belonged to men.

The idea of the "natural female destiny" as a limitation of the rights of a huge part of humanity has proved to be very powerful. It does not simply justify inequality, but presents it in an attractive light to women themselves, masquerading as "caring" for them. It is typical that at the beginning of economic transformations in our country, the campaign to force women out of the labor market began under slogans of freeing them from their double burden and returning them to their natural destination. The most obvious illustration of the fact of unequal relations between the two halves of humanity was the division between the world of employment, the world of politics, on the one hand, seen as naturally male, and the world of family life, the world of the household, on the other, understood as naturally female. In most societies, women are assumed to take the primary responsibility for the upkeep of the family. The idea of the male breadwinner has long dominated the idea of full employment in European countries.

There are two main concepts that explain why it is still so difficult to overcome these stereotypes, even in developed countries. Firstly, it is the ideology of sexism, in which understanding focuses on a person's gender rather than their personality. Secondly, the problem of socialization: social roles are quite stable, passed down from generation to generation and anchored by society. Many of the difficulties encountered by women in employment are related to motherhood. It is assumed that it is women who should stay at home with the children and cannot take too responsible positions, as they are obliged to pay more attention to the younger generation. When hiring a woman to work, employers think about whether she will go on maternity leave, whether she will take frequent sick leaves while caring for a young child, and how this may affect the work process. But the traditional division of labor, based on the role of physical strength, is becoming less and less effective as technology and economic development increase women's working lives, reduce the number of children, and increase the demand for skilled workers.

Women's discrimination in the field of labor can be observed in such aspects as: lower requirements for the place of work, working conditions, wages and level of social protection, the formation of non-competitive behavior patterns in the labor market, less labor mobility, which in turn leads to displacement to "lower" jobs with poor working conditions with low wages, unpaid sick leave and vacations, etc. Today, women are mostly employed in low-prestigious jobs, such as all kinds of services, health care and social protection of the population. It is difficult for women to occupy more prestigious positions, especially managerial ones.

The specifics of women's employment in the modern world are manifested in the following: obstruction of equal participation of women in the spheres of management and politics, displacement of women into the sphere of non-prestigious and low-paid professions and activities, overload with everyday life and occupations not appreciated by the society, lack of gender culture in the society, dominance of the myth about the solution of "women's issue" in the public consciousness.

Forcing women out of employment is fraught with serious consequences, undermining opportunities for their personal self-actualization, lower average per capita income and, consequently, impoverishment of families, loss of a considerable part of educated and qualified personnel, and increased social tensions.

In other words, we can say that despite the fact that active efforts are being made to combat sexual discrimination in the workplace, it has not been completely eradicated. The reason for this can be seen in the tightly entrenched gender stereotypes in the public consciousness. It leads to the fact that it is difficult for a woman to get a high position, to earn on a par with men, etc. Since in the consciousness a woman is first of all a mother, a keeper of the home, her place is not at work, but at home with her children.

Sexual harassment is part of everyday life for many people in the hotel and catering industry. It is terrible and nobody should be subjected to it. Sexual harassment, abuse and assault is NEVER acceptable. However, it unfortunately occurs.

Workers in the tourism sector can often be subjected to sexism, racism and threats of violence. The service profession entails demands and expectations that you are to be available, friendly and helpful.

The industry needs systemic change to realize its full potential and become an attractive industry to work in. While some may see, the behavior associated with sexual harassment as harmless horseplay, others see it as violation of their dignity. The social partners are paying more attention to issues of third-party violence and harassment in their efforts to improve workplace conditions, as sexual harassment may have negative consequences not only for the direct victims but also for their families and co-workers, as well as for organizations and society at large.

The tourism sector embraces many different organizations and workplaces, including hotels, motels, campsites, restaurants, bars, clubs, cafeterias, canteens and other catering establishments, as well as travel agencies, information offices, conference centers and exhibition halls. Sexual harassment, including unwanted attention or intimidation of a sexual nature, appears to be experienced widely in the industry. In surveys conducted by our member unions illustrate that around between 35% of all workers in the hotel and restaurant sector have experienced sexual harassment, and the number is closer to 60% for women working in frontline service such as waiters, baristas and bartenders. 

Sexual harassment affects people regardless of age, relationship, ability, physical appearance, background or professional status. Sexual harassment does not affect women alone: men can also be victims. However, women are more vulnerable due to their position in the labour market and see harassment as a greater threat than men.

The victims often have characteristics that make them vulnerable in the labour market and therefore unlikely to report sexual harassment out of fear of losing their job.

There have been identified various causes and risk factors for the high incidence of sexual harassment in the tourism industry including: 

Alcohol and drugs creates a hostile environment and intoxicated customers that may lead to misbehavior and unpleasant language. 

Long and irregular working hours, involving evenings, nights & holidays.

Unsecure and precarious working conditions.

”The guest is always right” mentality.

High degree of social contact attracts sociable, energetic, and outgoing personal to the industry. General hospitality is frequently misjudged and perceived as invitation of sexual advances.

Sexualised environment can encourage customers to treat employees in certain service occupations as sex objects rather than workers.

Tipping, especially where workers rely on their customers for their income.

How to stop sexism and sexual harassment at the workplace?

The first step is to work towards a common understanding about the issue and develop joint guidelines, recommendations and strategies how to prevent sexism and sexual harassment in the industry.

The main responsibility for preventing sexual harassment lies with employers, who must provide their employees with a safe working environment and ensure their workers’ health and safety. However, in practice, a joint approach to health and safety is the most successful.

Workplace prevention is a crucial factor in trade unions’ fight against sexual harassment in the tourism sector, as experience shows that it can be difficult to stop it by means of legislation and court cases alone. The advantage of workplace mechanisms over legislation is that they are primarily preventative. Rather than being confined to responding to sexual harassment, they are intended to ensure that it does not happen. Effective workplace policies protect employees by discouraging potential harassers by identifying, reducing, mapping and mitigating sexual harassment.

Employers and workers have a shared responsibility for health and safety at work. However, the main responsibility for preventing any form of harassment lies with employers, who have a statutory duty to provide a safe working environment and safeguard the health and safety of their employees.

Sexism in the service industry will continue to persist, but we need to pay attention to this problem. Thanks to this, we will be able to minimize the damage that it brings to employees of all genders.

Literature:

Kolesnikova O. A. Evolution of views on women's labor as a reflection of the development of the concept of gender equality / O. A. Kolesnikova, E. V. Maslova // Bulletin of Voronezh State University. Series: Economics and Management. - 2014. - № 4. - С. 34-39. - EDN TTHPSV.

Kononova, A. S. Influence of gender stereotypes on female discrimination in labor / A. S. Kononova // Modern socio-economic processes: problems, trends, prospects : collection of articles of the VII International Scientific-Practical Conference, Petrozavodsk, June 03, 2021. - Petrozavodsk : International Center for Scientific Partnership "New Science", 2021. - С. 168-171. - EDN SRJRCQ.

Sexual harassment, 2016, URL https://www.nordichrct.org/nyheder/report-on-sexual-harassment

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