Elisabeth Neulinger

Female Western Leaders in the Hospitality Industry in North Africa Elisabeth Neulinger

According to the caveman-theory, men were said to be the providers of the family who spent the day hunting in plain nature and being exposed to the dangers of the wilderness. Women, on the other hand, needed to be protected since they nurtured the young and were crucial for procreation. While men were sweating in the backwoods, women only had to care for the cave-kids and to wait for food. Although this theory traces back to the beginning of mankind, it seems that even today males and females are still somehow marked by these stereotypes. Especially in fairly male-dominated cultures, such as the Arab culture, it is assumed that females face difficulties to enter the public sphere and to be accepted in business life. Thus, the present study was set out to investigate on barriers for female leaders in the Arabic culture while probing into an on-going value shift in North African countries.