Rick Steves... chauvinist?

It must be just "the luck of the draw." I've been on 7 RS tours and had women RS guides on 5 of them. The local guides have been both male and female. If you want a change of pace, call ETBD and arrange to take a tour with a woman guide. I don't know if they always know in advance who will be leading.

I've been on 3 RS tours, two female guides (Italy and Spain, both with female guides-in-training) and one male guide (Ireland, though the guide-in-training was female). If you're interested in a female perspective, I'd ask your guide anyway, it might cause him to consider filling in some blanks for the group. Side note: in Spain, we had primarily female local guides. When I was chatting with one of them, she mentioned that tourism is one of the few job sectors that women are moving into, and finding success, since Franco died and attitudes about the role of women (and everyone, really) changed.

I don't think RS has a bias against female guides. As for his contentious opinion which I read or watched on Youtube videos, I might not agree with some or many, but there are only two things that really bother me: a) his mention of shoplifting on his first tour to Europe as a quasi-honorable activity, as it were a harmless high-school prank and not a crime (it's on this site and on his book) b) his apologetic tone in certain non-travel related issues, like when he suggested we should "accept" a somehow higher number of terrorist-caused deaths in the "West" and yet do not wage war to punish and/or revenge the perpetrators. Again, both of my reservations about RS are non-travel related, but he's the one actively broadcasting such opinions to traveler readers.

Are you sure you have the cause and effect correct? There are some occupations which some genders are more likely to desire. For example there are a lot more female primary school teachers than males. While there does exist some bias against male 2nd grade teachers among principals and parents of the children the primary reason for the difference is that very few guys want to be 2nd grade teachers. Likewise, less women, particularly those who have children are willing to take on a career that has them on the road and away from their families than men. That isn't to say that there aren't any women willing to, just less. OTOH, local guide can be the ideal "mommy job" well paying, part time job in which the majority of the work is done when the kids are in school or at summer camp with enough time to get home in time to have dinner with the family on most days.

"OTOH, local guide can be the ideal "mommy job" well paying, part time job in which the majority of the work is done when the kids are in school or at summer camp" OR she could be in the kitchen where she belongs, making me a sandwich!

I have taken 5 RS tours. 2 of the guides were female and they are my top two! As a 'liberated' woman, whatever that means these days, I hate to even say this, but the female guides tended to be more 'caring', were less irritated by people's questions, less dictatorial in their direction, and provided more fun information-not just art and history lessons. My 3rd favorite guide was a guy and I have to be fair and say he also exhibited these same qualities. Maybe this has more to do with how I rate/rank a guide than anything else.

"OTOH, local guide can be the ideal "mommy job" well paying, part time job..." I thought I recall reading somewhere that tour guides generally receive lousy pay. Paging Frank from Colorado, is that correct?

Steve, I've just finished the Holland & Belgium tour, and while the Lead Guide was male, many of the local Guides were female. I tend to agree with the previous comment that it's pretty much "the luck of the draw". The local Guides on ANY of the tours may be either male or female, depending on who's available at the time. Cheers!

Yikes! Rick hires impatient dictatorial types who know their history and are always telling people to get on the bus? And they are men, you say? I shall avoid these tours.

Steve, In seven tours, I've had 5 women guides and only 2 men.

@ Tom, My understanding is that tour guides (e.g. the guy or gal who spends 24 hours a day with you from the beginning of the trip to the end living out of suitcase) get lousy pay (particular on a per hour basis when you figure they are working 16-20 hours a day.) But local guides (e.g. the guy or gal that meets with you for 1-7 hours and accompanies you in a single city and points out the local sites and history) make very good pay on a hourly basis. Although the total annual income is not great due to the lack of working full time and rarely includes much in the way of benefits. Plus the total work load can be unpredictable with periods of very little work thus very little money. Thus the second one makes a pretty good part time job for some one who has a spouse who has a consistent paycheck and benefits who just want to work occasionally while focusing the majority of her time and effort on the family, but get paid well for the hours that she does work. E.g. the ideal "mommy job" The first one makes a horrible job for anyone who wants to have a consistent family life.

I think it's totally luck of the draw. In 14 tours, we've had eight female guides and six male. I can't say that it made any difference in the quality of the tours.

What difference does it make, as long as the guide is good?

To answer Stacy, it doesn't make a difference other than for the reason stated in my original post which I believe was worded quite clearly.

I can't find the Rick Steves quote... can you direct us?