Abstract: This paper evaluates the gender pay disparity between men and their female counterparts in the five star hotels within Nairobi County in Kenya. It sought to give empirical evidence concerning the existence and direction of such a gap as well as the discussion of the underlining socio-demographic as well as the job characteristic factors shaping it in this context. The study took a quantitative methodology with a cross-sectional survey study design and a sample section of 112 employees drawn in eight five-star hotels within Nairobi. Its analysis of the pay gap was done in terms of mean difference analysis and independent t-tests of the samples. Against the global and national trends, the research study found that there exists statistically significant gender pay gap in favour of the female employees working in the five star hotels located in Nairobi (mean difference = 0.78, p = 0.040). Three factors were found to be the main determinants of employee compensation among them being level of education, position held, department, age group and length of stay in the hotel. These outcomes undermine some of the simplistic explanations concerning gender pay gap, implying that in certain, high-end spheres of the industry, personal human resources and career advancement could have an additional impact on the compensation compared to gender itself. The paper emphasizes the significance of encouraging equality in access to education and access to leadership among all the employees regardless of gender in realization of equitable practices on compensation.
Keywords: Gender pay gap, hospitality industry, employee retention, wage disparity, five-star hotels, Nairobi County.
Title: ASSESSMENT OF PAY GAP BETWEEN MALE AND FEMALE EMPLOYEES IN FIVE STAR HOTELS IN NAIROBI COUNTY, KENYA
Author: Faith Nungari Wanjiku
International Journal of Interdisciplinary Research and Innovations
ISSN 2348-1218 (print), ISSN 2348-1226 (online)
Vol. 13, Issue 3, July 2025 - September 2025
Page No: 115-122
Research Publish Journals
Website: www.researchpublish.com
Published Date: 11-August-2025
