March 2019
This International Women's Day, we asked women across our business why they're passionate about gender equality and what change they hope to see in the future.
Irene Omune, Human Resources Manager, Kenya
"We all know that Gender Equality is a powerful driver of economic growth across the world. In the travel industry specifically, there are many women working but too often they are in lower paid jobs or working for free in family businesses. I believe if more businesses made a concerted effort to provide opportunities for senior women, as well as providing support in terms of knowledge sharing, we would see enormous change."
Fiorella Morales, Sales Consultant, Peru
"I started working in travel 20 years ago, as a tour leader. At the time nearly all the leaders were men. The few women there were would stop travelling when they had children. There was a strong perception that leading trips wasn't suitable work for women, especially more physical trips involving trekking. I was the exception because I stayed as a tour leader even after I had children, even though I was criticised for this by some of my family and friends. It was important to me to set a good example of how it's possible to balance work with family. My kids and their friends thought I was the coolest mother ever getting to do so much travel and meet people from all over the world. It sounds like a small thing, but if can change the mentality of kids about the role of women in society, we can make the biggest difference."
Ayu Tirta, Tour Leader, Indonesia
"Women can do anything, but the problem is they're not always given the opportunity to discover that. As a female tour leader in Indonesia people can be surprised to learn that I'm doing this job, but when they see me with our customers, they then understand why I love what I do - and that I'm just as good at it, if not better, than a man!"
Song Nongchanun, People Partner, Thailand
“Gender equality is important in all industries, not just travel. Why? Because balance and diversity will help us to consider various points of view from many different backgrounds and beliefs. When we need to make a decision as a business, it’s so important to cover all angles in order to make the right choice.”
Celia Brennan, Senior Operations and Purchasing Partner, Australia
"The travel industry offers real opportunity to increase women's participation in the workforce, entrepreneurship and leadership. If more women were able to take on management and leadership roles and to move into the parts of the sector previously considered unfeasible (such as tour leading), the impact would be huge. "
Fatimazohra Benhenia, Sales Manager, Morocco
"No matter what gender you are, we all have the right to the same opportunities in health, education and professional and political empowerment. Diversity is very important as different points of view and life experiences help us to innovate and find better solutions to the world's problems, as well as enriching our own lives through understanding and appreciating other people."
Rama Mahendru, General Manager, India
"Women bring different perspectives and approaches to business, resulting in a more inclusive workplace and a better performance for the company. It's so important to ensure that women are able to balance their work with family life, so that they are still able to develop in their careers should they choose to have children."
Interested in hearing more about our gender equality initiatives at Intrepid DMC? Click here to find out more.