The year 2020 has been one of uncharted territory. A once-in-a-century pandemic disrupted every sector in every corner of the globe. The travel industry, in particular, has faced significant and fundamental challenges.
Now, we must rebuild with greater resilience. To do so, we must take a lesson from a group that embodies that trait: women and working mothers, who have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic, taken on the majority of child-care responsibilities and have also experienced job loss at a greater rate than men.
Their experiences, and the experiences of other minority groups, have stirred a larger awakening about the need for a more inclusive industry. But significant challenges still lie ahead.
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I’ve worked in the travel and technology industries for decades, and despite the progress that we’ve made over the years, women in tech remain significantly underrepresented. A recent report by AnitaB.org found that despite comprising the majority of the global workforce, women only make up 28.8% of the tech workforce today - and across industries, at our current pace, the gender gap will take 99.5 years to close.
We must close that chasm faster. Not simply because equality is a noble pursuit or because diversity and inclusion are simply table stakes for any organization today. It’s because, at its core, fighting for equal representation means fighting for the recovery of our industries - and it’s vital for the future of our industry.
Here is what I believe the spirit of travel can teach us about building a more inclusive industry and how each of us can encourage diversity and inclusion in our own way.
What travel can teach everyone about inclusion
What I love about travel is that it allows us to experience other cultures and communities outside of our own - opening ourselves up to new ways of thinking about the world. Time and again, research has shown that travel increases empathy and creates more innovative and “cognitively flexible” global citizens.
The travel industry has long known the benefits of learning about other cultures and bringing these lessons back to our companies and into our boardrooms. As we enlist the help of everyone to elevate equality and close the gender gap, I strongly believe mentorship opportunities of all kinds are core to diverse and inclusive workplaces - that seeking out differing viewpoints and perspectives on career paths is vital for women on the individual level.
Men have an important role to play, especially because the majority of leadership and decision-making roles within the travel industry are held by men, which allows them to act as key potential accelerators of inclusivity and change.
Ultimately, it’s important for any company to hold diversity as a core business priority, moving beyond conversations and into commitments that ensure accountability and lead to collective action.
D&I presents unique opportunities in different corners of the world
It’s important to recognize that diversity and opportunity does not look the same in every office around the globe. Unique social and economic barriers as well as cultural norms vary region to region, and therefore, gender, racial and other disparities cannot be addressed with turnkey solutions. While we continue a global approach to D&I, we must remember to “think locally.”
Specifically, for the technology and travel industry, we can ingrain D&I not just in how we recruit, but how we build a stronger talent pipeline from the start. Research by Microsoft in Europe found that girls gain interest in STEM subjects at the age of 11 but lose it by the time they’re 15. That’s a small window to keep young women interested, and we must take action.
Gender, racial and other disparities cannot be addressed with turnkey solutions.
Gillian Tans
For example, last year, Booking.com hosted a code-a-thon in San Francisco, inviting 10 young women interested in tech to participate in an immersion session, which included coding classes, access to mentors and hands-on training to refine skills. Though just two days long, this program could be a catalyst that keeps 10 young and eager minds interested in the field.
Further, our Technology Playmaker Awards launched three years ago with the goal of recognizing women paving the way in tech, while also celebrating diversity of all kinds across the global technology sector.
The momentum of progress for women in leadership and our collective focus on it over the past few years gives me hope that we are moving in the right direction. But as we rebuild, we cannot simply aim for the status quo.
If there’s anything I’ve learned from this pandemic crisis, it’s that we ought to stand up for society’s most vulnerable. Nearly each day this year, we’ve witnessed the deep and lasting challenges of a changing world. But we’re also witnessing the human resilience that rises to meet those challenges.
Building for the long term means reflecting that same resilience in our workplaces and communities, leaning on one another for support.
Let’s take this moment and turn it into momentum - setting our sights on the future to build a more inclusive world for all.
About the author...
Gillian Tans is chairwoman of Booking.com.