Dusit Thani College advocates gender equality in the hospitality industry
Equality is one of the fundamental rights that people of all countries, cultures and genders should be treated with. However, even though the way people treat each other is improving in some respects, there are some aspects, especially women in workplaces, where barriers and inequality are still experienced.
The hospitality industry is one sector that clearly illustrates the gaps between genders, from glass ceilings to stereotypical characteristics which need both critical discussion and workable solutions. With this in mind, the Phuket Hotels Association, in collaboration with C9 Hotelworks, arranged a learning event for those who work in hotels and tourism called “Mind the Gap – Women In Hospitality” held at Dusit Thani Laguna Phuket.
Dusit Thani College, a leading higher education institute in the hospitality industry that provides state-of-the-art knowledge from its globally recognised mothership, the Dusit Thani Hotel, joined the event to share stories and perspectives of prominent women who have fought the issues and offer solutions for better work experience and environment, including the college’s rector, successful alumni and a current student.
Ms. Frouke Gerbens, Rector of Dusit Thani College, led a session discussing the characteristics of the gender gap in terms of leadership and microaggression that women face compared to men. The pressure and inequality experienced by women in workplaces is an invisible barrier to their career development and a threat to their physical and mental stability, she said.
Ms. Budsabakorn Suwannasit, an alumnus of the Culinary Arts and Kitchen Management Program, told of the obstacles she has encountered. “I tried so hard to improve my skills and gain experience to become a great chef,” said Budsabakorn. “However, I ultimately encountered a barrier that is hard to overcome: my gender. The image of a chef is still male. Most of the famous chefs are men. There is an ingrained attitude that men work better than women because kitchen work is physically demanding. We are always judged as being weak and having less potential because of our personalities and being women even though we are actually super tough. Just give women a chance to show who they are and what they can do. Now I want to open my own restaurant that welcomes anyone who genuinely has a passion for cooking, including all genders, people with disabilities and ex-offenders. I strongly believe that cooking can give anyone the chance of a better quality of life and a better position in society. I would like to utilise my accumulated work experience and knowledge as much as possible to achieve this goal.”
Ms. Rattawan Korsuwan, an alumnus of the MICE and Events Management Program (currently part of the Hotel Management Program), shared her experience at the college.
“In my batch, there were only girls and we had to create events every year to complete the program”, said Rattawan. “In the first year, the teacher was worried about giving work to us. He kept asking whether it was alright to let us deal with it or whether he should call for help from the boys. I didn’t blame him. I understand that he was just worried that we couldn’t handle hard work because we are the weaker gender. However, event management isn’t easy for everyone, not just women. I and my friends believe in ourselves. We didn’t mean to avoid help from men but we just had to do our duties. If we need help, it’s not because we are weak. It insinuates that we are not professional enough to do the job ourselves. So we insisted on doing the events ourselves and the results turned out just fine.”
Ms. Sutida Luangna, a current student in the Hotel and Resort Management (currently Hospitality Management) international program and president of Dusit Thani College’s Student Union, proposed creating a safer and more positive workplace for women by encouraging them to report violations of their rights, including promoting anti-sexual harassment in the workplace, as this would protect and help each other.
Besides passing on professional knowledge, Dusit Thani College focuses on motivating students’ ambitions and supports them to speak out. The college supports developing 21st century skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, leadership, social responsibility, and so on. After all, hearing outspoken points of view from new generations are essential to keep driving society forward.