Almost a third (31.4%) of female business travelers have encountered sexual harassment while traveling. Handbag theft is the second most frequent incident, followed by drink spiking and sexual assault. Furthermore, 79.2% of female business travelers claim they are under-prepared to deal with the incidents they encounter. These are just two of the findings from a new report looking at female business travelers' needs, the degree to which these needs are met and whether gender should play any part in corporate travel management.
The Women in Business Travel Report was commissioned by Maiden-Voyage, a WEConnect International certified women-owned business and Travel Intelligence Network.
Research carried out for the Women in Business Travel Report also revealed that:
- 77% of female business travelers say their company’s travel programs should take account of their specific gender needs.
- 70.02% say travel providers need to try harder to address those needs.
- 73.4% say their experiences of travel providers affects their policy compliance.
- 75.3% say their companies should prioritize suppliers who pay special attention to the needs of female travelers.
Those surveyed came come from a wide variety of industry sectors including professional services, healthcare, technology, retail, education and government. Just under half of the 200+ respondents spend four nights or more per month away from their UK homes on business.
The research, among female company managers, directors, CEOs and owners, was supported by leading travel brands Avis Budget, CTI, International SOS, Priority Pass & Virgin Trains.
Today, 47% of women who travel, travel on business and 80% of travel spend is managed by women. Women are the fastest growing segment of business travellers. Duty of Care legislation has demanded that employers take a more personal approach to business travel, and travel suppliers have reacted similarly.
Carolyn Pearson, Founder & CEO of Maiden-Voyage.com says: "We live in a risk-filled world where corporates must remain ever-mindful of their duty of care to travelling employees. More women are in senior corporate positions, and more are travelling on business too, often alone. Travel management has changed too. Personalizing the traveler experience is essential to maintain the policy compliance that drives maximum value from corporates’ travel spend, so travel managers are engaging with a more diverse range of stakeholders than ever before in a bid to create travel programs that meet the personal needs of every business traveler. But, as our report shows, there is still much work to be done."
