Women Hosts are Rocking the Platform

[Peter1]

It's amazing how Airbnb has become an empowering force for women around the world.  I doubt that the three men who founded the company would have imagined this result at the start, or imagined how a global pandemic would be a catalyst. 

But the facts speak for themselves and women Hosts are outperforming men in terms of joining the platform and becoming Superhosts.  That's terrific!

If you are a female Host, please share your story here.  We'd love to hear how hosting has affected your life.

"Last year, about 20% more women joined the platform than men, according to company data. Now, 56% of Airbnb’s global hosts identify as women, and 59% of hosts in the United States are women, the data show. New women hosts made more than $1.1 billion last year, including $550 million in the United States.

Airbnb has always done fairly well bringing in and retaining women hosts. The percentage of global hosts who identify as women has always hovered around 55% over the past several years. Nearly 60% of Superhosts are women as well."

https://bit.ly/3ihb8am

[John5097]

I wanted to add that @Peter1 profile states he is retired educator. He also has amazing reviews, a lot from women who all mention him specifically. This is a very challenging accomplishment. As an educator he probably just wants to help empower women, and I’m guessing really appreciates women giving some of the good guys an opportunity on Airbnb. 

However if Airbnb really valued women it seems like they would improve their policy to require ID from everyone. Women shouldn’t have to only accept female guest to be safe or require I D to feel safe and then  be at a disadvantage. 

[Gillian166]

I know what you mean about men being treated differently. I'm a photographer and it's so funny how I can go almost anywhere and photograph anything, or fly my drone, and zero people will harass me. Male photographers do not get the same treatment. Of course, women being treated differently is something we've lived with for millenia...... (she speaks the truth, burn the witch!  haha this is a favourite expression in our house)

We have a farm (only 100acres) with 3 listings, 2 are stand alone cottages and one is a very large "wing" of our large homestead. My daughter currently lives full-time on the farm (she does turnovers and I do the admin side) and we live interstate but one of us (hubby or me) flies down once a month to help out on the farm. We mention in the listing for the "private room" listing (if it had a kitchenette I could call it an apartment or something), that my daughter is the farm manager but often one of us might be staying too. 

We had a group of ladies come stay a few weeks ago while my husband was there, and all was fine during their stay, but afterwards the booking guest said that the ladies were uncomfortable having him in the house. It was so weird. I grilled my hubby making sure his South African "humour" didn't offend them, but my daughter confirmed that all was fine and the ladies never showed a hint of discomfort the few times they were in the kitchen together, or crossed paths outside. I still haven't responded because I just don't know what to say. My daughter did say one of the older women had "strong Karen vibes" which makes me think nothing i say will be good enough. They have left a review and I am still pondering what to write. 

I personally worry about my daughter being alone on the property, and am relieved when hubby is down there, and to protect her i keep it a bit vague as to whether she is alone, and let people assume we will be there. I am always very grateful having a man on a farm property, and in fact 2 days before this group arrived a giant gum tree branch fell down over the driveway and thanks to my hubby being there, it was removed immediately and chopped up for firewood (broke the fence too). In a world where we are supposed to buy into this notion that there's no difference between the sexes,  farm people (and actually all rational people) know differently. For these women to be upset that a man would be present on a working farm just defies logic.  

Anyway, a bit long winded but I understand your meaning @John5097 .  

[John5097]

@Gillian166 

Thanks so much for sharing some of your hosting experiences! It so nice to read some insights about your family, farm, hosing, and professional experiences. 

I can relate to the cameras. For a short time I had a gopro on my bike helmet. Other cyclist in major cites do this as a safety measure. More camreas keeps everyone safer. It was so boring and even someone's friend couldn't ID them, because its wide angle lens. The oldest files just got deleted when the SD card got full, but could go back and get some kind of screen shot if there was some crime.  And I have rode up on houses getting robbed, etc, that was kind of scary, as I stopped and confronted them. And really helped prevent getting run over by a car or truck. But the looks I got form people who that thought I was out to record them, I just couldn't do it anymore. 

I think it would be a great idea to have more cameras installed along trails and public parks. These are places women are subjected to assaults on a regular basis when they are just tying to use a public recreation area to get some exercise! But everyone is just so used to certain activities being more dangerous for women, that nothing changes. This crosses over into hosting, as you cited, as host have the option to include security cameras.  

Thankfully, guest trust me. Its from the reviews. I was so tankful for them, espically the first ones. Even young women feel safe and enjoy being able to express excitement and just feeling safe to commuiacte with someone they trust, which is nice to have positive communication.

I structured the listing with this in mind and expressed clear boundaries. 

I would think you could just explain to the lady guests how you explained it here. That you like to keep in close touch with your daughter. 

I get a lot of solo women guest of all ages. Sometimes I suspect they say they have a friend or husband but maybe don't. I really wouldn't know as I don't even see most of them, and its fine with me. 

All you can do is the best you can. I often encounter new situations and have to make adjustments. So far no one has marked me down for anything but may bring something to my attention. 

I do find that the communication and every aspect is all gender neutral in a good way. Its like a work environment or doing things as a group.

Its surprising some of your guest where uncomfortable, suspicious, or alarmed  at your husband with your daughter there on a family farm. At the same time, I see women just sitting in their cars in a parking lot because its the only way they get out and still feel safe. Although people here don't even get out of their cars to get coffee and all sit in long line at drive through for Strabucks even last week with expensive fuel, and inside is empty. 

Sorry for rambling!  

[Gillian166]

rambling is fine, I do it too. 

People are weird how they think drones or go pro cameras can spy on them in a personal way. the resolution on those things is so weak, and to get really technical, if you are shooting in auto you've go no control over the shutter speed which means you'll not be able to grab any decent stills from the footage. you need to be steady, smooth and still to get great footage, go pros aren't your tool for that. that's why they are mostly used for fast action stuff. I have one, I've only used it for swimming in the ocean stuff.

well that's my mild nerd rant. I agree in a small way that i'd like to see more cameras on walking paths, BUT i don't want to be part of the #governmeharder tribe.  (thankfully most uni campuses and hospitals now have cameras, and security escorts). There's a fine line between asking for more govt intervention, and actually getting it, and then being actually happy about it. the last 2 years certainly taught me that. 3 years ago i bought my parents and in-laws a dashcam for Xmas, those are absolutely essential IMHO.

I finally did the review for that guest who complained about my husband, she gave me 4*, said it was great and then brought up 2 issues: the kitchen is shared and the pool isn't heated. 🤦🏼‍♀️ Yes, as stated in my listing........... it's also not on the moon and the queen doesn't serve us afternoon tea. honestly, what a ridiculous review!  But it could have been far more stupid so i'll move on with my life. I  ticked "never host again". i've only done that 2 times so far. 

[John5097]

@Gillian166 Its so much fun to read your comments! I guess I was a bit dramatic. I created my listing in one night, posted it, got first reservation by the next morning, and booked up next several months in the first week without a single review. The photographs helped. 

I think you are right that we all are unique. My listing is a private apartment so perfect to a lot of people. 

Women really keep my reviews on track though. If one mentions me by name, saying I was great host, the next ten will follow suit. 

Bummer about the 4* review. You might have a chance having it removed for irrelevancy if that was covered in the listing. Or update listing enough and start over, if its only 7 reviews. 

I'm really surprised with that reviews and how great listings and host are receiving inaccurate and unfair reviews. 

In the past two days I've had the wackiest string of guest and booking request. One kept calling me starting the day before check in wanting to know if there was an oven or outdoor grill, which is clearly stated in the listing in 4 places, then if they could bring their own grill. Then kept calling me insisting to book future dates off platform that aren't even available, then insisted checking out late because when they booked those dates hadn't been booked yet. 

Here a few other the others all from yesterday. I'm gonna get dinged! No way around it! I"m gonna to walk at the beach! 

Really enjoy reading about you and your family and listing! 

 

[Gillian166]

I don’t care about the review, she won’t be the last guest who doesn’t read the listing properly. 

“the tv is a little soft”, lol. Does she mean the volume ? 

[Sarah977]

@John5097 @Gillian166  It would have been useful for a friend of mine to have had a camera when a motorist made a right turn without noticing her in the bike lane and almost hit her. Had she not been aware and slammed on her brakes, she would have likely been dead. He just kept driving, totally oblivious of what he had done. She chased him for blocks until he pulled into a parking lot and started yelling at him when he got out of the car, that he had almost killed her.

But there is a flip side to public cameras which can actually pose a danger to women. A young woman I know had a stalker in Canada. She was on vacation in my town in Mexico and there is a webcam set up in the plaza by some real estate people to try to promote the town. Her stalker, who knew she had gone to Mexico, saw her online where this footage is posted, came down and suddenly appeared next to her one day. It was really scary.

[Gillian166]

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@Sarah977 wrote:

But there is a flip side to public cameras which can actually pose a danger to women.  

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yes, there's always a danger to new technologies and sometimes it's better to take a more conservative rather than progressive approach. Rushing in blindly without considering all the "what ifs" is dangerous. This is why I never join in the call for more govt intervention, because the govt tends to stuff up everything they touch, and don't seem to do anything for the people, just for their own power/re-election. (both sides, all sides, do this) (exhibit A: 2020, 2021)

A stalker who flew to Mexico?? that IS scary. pity she couldn't have found some way to have him detained at the border.