1. Noemi Gonzalez Mrs. McCarthy Art & Sciences Capstone February 11, 2015

2.   The hospitality industry is a broad category of fields within the service industry that includes lodging, event planning, theme parks, transportation, cruise line, and additional fields within the tourism industry.  Hospitality industry experts and analysts have talked about the "glass ceiling" that has prevented women in the field from ascending to the upper ranks of supervisory and managerial positions.  Source: Hospitality Careers website What is hospitality?

3.   In restaurants, hotels, catering firms, resorts, and many other venues, women are becoming much more visible in management roles and other key positions than ever before, and experts predict that the opportunities for women in the industry will only increase as businesses struggle to keep pace with growth and demand in the field.  Source: Hospitality Careers website Why is this the case?

4.   Given the circumstances, the progress women have made in recent years in the male-weighted hospitality industry are extremely impressive. Women now control hundreds of millions of dollars of international real estate.  In recent years, the influence of women has been growing in the hotel industry. There have been significant increases in the number of women holding leadership roles at all levels of hotels, inns, lodges and resorts across the country. Proven Success

5.  Success Stories DENISE FUGO, President and founder of Sammy's Restaurants - Fugo began her foodservice career as a 15- year-old Burger King cashier and later held a series of waitressing jobs. Now, she's an industry leader who is involved in the administration of the National Restaurant Association.

6.  Success Stories MARY K. MAHONEY, President, Howard Johnson Division, Cendant Corp. - After a beginning in marketing, Mahoney entered the hospitality industry and gradually worked her way up the managerial ladder over the course of a 23-year career. Today, Mahoney leads the Howard Johnson brand. Enhancing the work/life balance for working mothers and recruiting women for managerial and executive roles have both been goals of her tenure.

7.  Success Stories Denise Scott Brown is an American architect, planner, writer, educator, and principal of the firm Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates in Philadelphia. Sainsbury Wing of Known for designing London's National Gallery, the capitol building in Toulouse and the Nikko Hotel and Spa Resort in Japan.

8.  Success Stories Founded The American Hotel & Lodging Association’s Women in Lodging Council. In 2014, after more than 25 years growing a brand and pioneering new paths for women in the hotel industry, Nancy Johnson prepared for the transition into retirement.

9.   In 2013, of the thirteen hospitality industry leaders in the country there were no women in C-level positions. With this study and others, it is evident that women in top roles of companies remain a novelty.  Women have long worked in positions of de facto leadership in the hospitality industry, such as supervising or managing a family-owned business, or assuming additional responsibilities in their boss's absence. However, it was not until 1980s that large numbers of women first began to be formally hired into leadership roles. Statistics

10.   Although they are still significantly outnumbered by their male counterparts, these women have broken through the once- impenetrable "glass ceiling" and are now leading the way for a new generation of females who aspire to leadership positions in the hospitality industry.  The most common self-imposed barriers for women involved family and household responsibilities holding a higher priority, as well as work–life balance, whereas the most prominent workplace barriers were lack of mentoring, lack of careful career planning, stereotyping, and perception of feminine traits. Facts

11.   There are currently 1.8 million other women in the hospitality industry and it is because they love what they do. They are excited to go to work every day and find themselves challenged by new ideas and projects.  Women's empowerment will be front and center in 2015 as more companies and communities invest in women's entrepreneurship -- and as women continue to invest in themselves. What does the future hold?

12.   While many women have been spurred by Sheryl Sandberg's call to lean in and take a "seat at the table," many others have decided to build their own.  For the last 20 years, women have consistently been starting businesses at a higher rate than men. Disinterested in climbing and clawing their way up the corporate ladder, or working long days without feeling the fulfillment they crave, women have been starting businesses aligned with personal values seeking freedom, flexibility, and independence. Women Entrepreneurs

13.   While financial institutions still need to do a better job of banking on women's potential, and the numbers are still small, opportunities are increasing as women invest in other women. Entrepreneurial personalities don't often wait for governments or systems to build the perfect environment for success, but go out to create them. And so women have begun building the networks and bringing together the resources to catalyze their own change, building their own vibrant and layered ecosystems. The “Go Getter”

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16.   All images provided by Google Images. Image References