This paper seeks to explore the long-term implications of current employment and educational trends in the hospitality and tourism industries. Many governments in western liberal democracies have, over the past twenty-five years, implemented policies to increase the number of girls completing high school and progressing onto university. In spite of this in industries such as hospitality and tourism, which are generally described as female industries, most senior positions are held by men. Victoria University is the oldest and largest hospitality and tourism school in Australia. In the last 20 years the profile of students, and their subsequent performance has altered considerably in favour of women. But after entering the industry female graduates are more likely to leave the industry than their male counterparts. In spite of this there is evidence that female workers employed in the hospitality and tourism industries are more interested in and involved in personal and professional development activities than males. This suggests that there is an emerging cohort of highly competent, focussed and ambitious females entering the hospitality and tourism industries. However, these industries have a long tradition of steep hierarchy and patriarchy, which has tended to alienate ambitious women. Therefore, this paper investigates the extent to which the hospitality and tourism industries are providing appropriate career paths and job satisfaction for these women. It reviews recent research, discusses findings on the academic performance of female students, and evaluates data on female progression rates. It concludes with a discussion of their impact of these findings on the future gender profile of senior management in the hospitality and tourism industries.