Women represent about 74 percent of corporate travel buyers, but they fill just 68 percent of senior-level—director and above—buyer roles, according to new research released Thursday by the Global Business Travel Association Foundation at the GBTA WINiT Summit in New York. Further, about 85 percent of lower-level manager and below buyer roles are held by women.
The findings are based on a Sept. 18-30 survey conducted with WINiT partner Corporate Travel Management that generated responses to at least one question from 654 global travel professionals from 42 countries. Sixty-seven percent of the respondents identified as female, 33 percent as male.
The study, called "Breaking Boundaries: Women and Advancement in Business Travel," also found that 62 percent of supplier professionals and 55 percent of travel management company staff respondents identified as women.
Among respondents working for travel suppliers and TMCs, women are most likely to work for hotels—58 percent of female respondents worked for a hotel or accommodation company compared with 28 percent of men. They also are less likely to work for travel technology companies. Just 8 percent of female respondents worked for a technology, distribution or online booking tool provider versus 30 percent of male respondents.
For buyers and suppliers alike, women are less likely than men to have positive career attitudes, according to the findings. About 23 percent of female travel buyers said they "strongly agree" that they were happy with their compensation, compared with 33 percent of male travel buyers. The percentages were closer for travel supplier and TMC professionals: 27 percent of women and 29 percent of men said so.
There also was disparity regarding opportunities for growth and advancement. About 14 percent of female travel buyers said they "strongly agree" they have those opportunities versus 22 percent of male respondents. For suppliers and TMC professionals, the responses were nearly even, at 28 percent for women and 29 percent for men.
About 28 percent of women travel buyers strongly agree they have a good work-life balance, compared with 43 percent of men who strongly agreed with that statement. On the supply side, those responses were 31 percent for women and 36 percent for men.
In terms of the perception of management support for travel buyers, the discrepancies between women and men lessened but still exist. About 43 percent of women travel buyers "strongly agree" they feel supported by their manager versus 48 percent of men. For suppliers and TMC professions, those figures were 55 percent for women and 58 percent for men.