Women’s career advancement in hotels: the mediating role of organizational commitment

PurposeThis study aims to uncover women’s career advancement (CA) in the hospitality industry, by examining the influence of female employees’ career expectation (CE) and work–family balance (WFB). It also investigated the extent to which organizational commitment (OC) mediates the relationships among women’s CE, WFB and CA.Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire was used to collect data. The data were collected from 525 hotel female employees in China. A structural equation model was conducted with all of the data to test the relationships between the constructs. The individual measurement model was tested using the exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. A structural model was estimated using analysis of moment structures to test all the hypotheses.FindingsThe results showed that women’s CE and WFB positively influenced their OC and CA. Women’s organizational commitment also positively influenced their CA. The results also confirmed that the indirect effect of CE and WFB on CA was mediated by OC.Originality/valueThis study examines how the CE and work–family relationships of female employees in the hospitality industry affect their OC and their CA. The results help female employees to overcome the glass ceiling effect and achieve greater career success. This study seeks to expand the research on the CA of female hotel employees by identifying the factors that influence their CA.