Women in the Gastronomy Arena: Gender-Based Experiences Encountered

Abstract

In this study, the difficulties experienced by female kitchen workers in their profession due to their gender were examined. In the research, which specifically questioned sexual harassment and glass ceiling syndrome in the workplace, a phenomenological approach was adopted and a qualitative research method was preferred. In this context, various questions examining the obstacles in question were asked to female employees employed in the kitchen departments of three different four- and five-star accommodation establishments operating in Kuşadası. The findings indicate that women are partially hindered due to their gender. In addition, three of the participants stated that they were harassed in various ways (verbal or sexual), and one of them stated that he witnessed it in some way, even though he was not harassed. In line with the results obtained from the interviews conducted with nine participants, various inferences were made and various suggestions were presented to sector representatives and senior managers.