Tourism employment in China : a look at gender equity, equality, and responsibility

China is increasingly viewed as a dominant and essential component in global tourism. However, apart from ageism and gender differences, there appears to be an almost complete absence of gender-equality discussion in this industry; although China is beginning to attend to concerns about social equity. The inherent conflict between traditional values and the requirement of contemporary capitalism is placing enormous pressures on China. What appears to be different and disturbing about China is the commitment to the nation and its development at the expense of social and environmental sustainability, as well as growing regional inequalities. This article explores issues relating to tourism management, gender equity, and equality in China. There is an attempt to explore the claim that the demands of careers within a global business environment are exacerbating the challenges for women in the tourism industry. This article identifies business leaders in a range of tourism-related industries in China. The study includes surveys, interviews, and focus-group data collected in Guangzhou in 2002–2005, which may provide insight for the experience, attitudes, and aspirations of middle to senior executives. The data suggest that although economic reform and tourism growth has delivered economic gains, this is not accompanied by a similar development in terms of developing sustainable work systems in tourism. This article describes a new period of particularly dramatic changes in tourism management, resulting from new forms of production, and highlights some of the changes for organizational health and sustainability, interpreted as economic and social well-being, including sustainable work systems and the need to strike a balance between the individual, her work, and her social and community life.