Societal and contextual implications on female leadership in the Jordanian hotels sector

This paper aims to contribute to the embryonic literature about the contextual, organisational and other causes of the women’s limited advancement into positions of power. Following gender and leadership theories, individuals are stereotyped against different expectations of gender and leadership that are invoked from cultural and societal traditions. Drawing on a in depth study on gender and leadership in the hotel sector in Jordan, this paper offer new insights about the overlapping between gender culture, religion and legal context. Following inductive-content analysis of 178 responses, the study reveals that despite significant governmental interventions to promote gender equality, there are pervasive tribal and cultural obstacles embedded in organisations in Jordan.