Abstract:
Discussions on gender relations and the design of strategies to achieve equity have been the
focus of different studies and debates nowadays. The UN has established the need to encourage
women's full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of
decision-making in political, economic and social life as part of the Sustainable Development
Goals 2015-2030. Despite the progress and victories achieved by women in the fight for equal
rights, situations of inequality in the world are still present, especially in the labour market.
Within this panorama, the hotel and tourism sector in Mozambique was identified, where the
presence of women in the labour force is prominent. With the goal of analysing gender relations
and influences on the performance of work by women in the touristic enterprises of Praia da
Ponta do Ouro, this research was conducted as an exploratory study, of a qualitative nature,
with a methodology based on the phenomenological approach. As a result, the study showed
that there is a segregation of work by gender, with women mostly performing domestic duties
such as housekeeping, cooking and reception, earning minimum wages and with low levels of
education. Some of the different challenges that women face in the performance of work
include harassment, difficulties in reconciling work and family life, and poor conditions for
their professional growth within these companies. However, there is a prospect of paradigm
shifts as women are gaining a foothold in new ventures that have emerged, in roles that are
mostly occupied by men, and with greater professional prominence.
