Ghaderi, ZahedBagheri, FatemehMakian, SarasadatSinha, Rupa2025-06-132025-06-132025-05-140250-8281http://hdl.handle.net/10400.1/27231Despite women's robust participation in low- and middle-level roles in tourism and hospitality, their ascent to managerial and executive positions faces considerable challenges. The paucity of empirical studies delving into women's perspectives exacerbates this issue. This study attempts to fill this void by examining the underrepresentation of women in managerial roles across conservative cultures such as India, Iran, and Oman. In-depth interviews were conducted with 35 actively engaged female professionals to elucidate this phenomenon. Employing Gender Schema Theory, our findings uncover the initiation of efforts to dismantle barriers to advancement, yet underscore the enduring influence of societal norms, cultural barriers, and organisational structures in impeding progress towards gender parity in higher managerial echelons. The study concludes by examining the theoretical and practical applications of the findings and proposing directions for future research.engWomen underrepresentationInequalityManagerial and executive positionsConservative culturesjournal article10.1080/02508281.2025.24909542320-0308