The CEO gender pay gap in the tourism industry—Evidence from Norway

This article compares the gender pay gap among chief executive officers (CEOs) in a sample of Norwegian tourism and manufacturing firms. More than 20% of the CEOs in tourism are women, as opposed to less than 6% in the sample of manufacturing firms. The results confirm that female CEOs are wage discriminated in both sectors. Nevertheless, the gender wage gap is larger in tourism because the female CEOs in this industry are employed in relatively smaller firms than is the case in manufacturing. The tourism industry offers women better odds of reaching the top, but the female CEOs are employed in smaller firms that offer less pay. This phenomenon could be evident at other levels and in other countries too. The results should induce the large female workforce in the tourism industry to pursue more challenging leadership positions.