- OysterLink: Gender wage gap persists and widens in hospitality.
- Women earn 70 cents per dollar despite leading hospitality roles.
- Women bartenders earn $841 per week versus $1,197 for men.
THE GENDER GAP in hospitality persists and is widening in some roles, according to OysterLink, a hospitality job platform. Women make up 54 percent of the food service workforce and 58 percent of hotel and accommodation staff but earn about 70 cents for every dollar earned by men in similar roles.
The gap is small in most front-line positions like dishwashers and counter workers, but bartenders and food service managers face gaps of about $18,000 per year, OysterLink reported, citing U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Bartenders, a higher-earning front-line role with many women, earn $841 per week compared with $1,197 for men, a yearly gap of $18,512. In food service management, women earn $910 per week versus $1,250 for men, a difference of $17,680 per year, or 72.8 cents for every dollar earned by male counterparts.
“The management gap is the one that should concern the industry most,” said Milos Eric, OysterLink’s general manager. “You can rationalize some of the front-line differences through tip variability or hours. You can’t rationalize a $17,680-a-year gap between male and female food service managers. That’s a structural problem.”
Broader data support these trends. JPMorgan Chase & Co’s Global State of Gender Balance in 2025 report found the gender pay gap persists, rising to 17 percent in the U.S. and remaining at 13 percent in Europe. Full parity is projected to take about 134 years worldwide.
A recent hertelier report also found that women leaders face systemic challenges in luxury hospitality, with career advancement often depending on personal effort rather than structural support.
