Gender-focused social innovation plays a pivotal role in connecting social transformation with women's entrepreneurship, empowerment, and the changing dynamics of their roles within the tourism sector.

Why challenge the prevailing views regarding the status and contribution of female entrepreneurs in an increasingly globalized and capitalist-driven industry? Where do we locate the true forces of power, innovation, and creativity within the fabric of tourism development?

Conversations about gender equality in tourism frequently center on a perspective that confines women to service roles, reinforcing stereotypes of passivity and dependency, which hinders their recognition as agents of change.

The work of Mathias Pécot, Carla Ricaurte-Quijano, Catheryn Khoo, Marisol Alonso Vazquez, Domenica Barahona-Canales, Elaine Chiao Ling Yang, and Rosalie Tan disrupts these limiting perceptions and encourages more diverse and empowering narratives.

Collaborations devoted to promoting gender equality in tourism have emerged as pathways to uplift women, although designing gender-centered programs and training often encounters obstacles related to meaning, enactment, and power relations.

The authors undertook 33 interviews and facilitated 5 digital marketing workshops with women entrepreneurs in both Ecuador and Mexico. These exchanges revealed critical perspectives and key learnings.

This study illustrates how both individual and collective forms of empowerment often unfold outside formal intervention strategies, bringing attention to the broader challenges within established structures.

Individual Empowerment: Women entrepreneurs in Mexico and Ecuador shared stories of transformative journeys—ranging from entering global commerce, attaining academic qualifications, to pioneering with new tools and materials. These accounts highlight growing self-reliance, situational awareness, and confidence.

Relational Empowerment: Beyond personal growth, relational empowerment stems from their interactions with families, community figures, coworkers, and tourism stakeholders. It nurtures important values such as trust, emotional support, effective time management, and the freedom to lead decisions.

Structural Challenges: Despite their ambitions, women entrepreneurs face systemic barriers including gender-based discrimination, societal expectations, domestic violence, and restricted access to resources. Punitive regulations further marginalize their participation in the tourism market, particularly within informal sectors, underscoring the deep-rooted issues beyond individual capabilities to resolve alone.

Gender-driven social innovation is a transformative force, recognizing women’s entrepreneurial contributions to tourism as not only a commercial endeavor but as a meaningful change agent. It fosters networks and cooperatives that, despite systemic challenges, push forward initiatives of collective support and societal growth. As Professor Catheryn Khoo highlights, "This research shifts our perspective on women in the tourism industry. It's no longer just about delivering products and services; it's about acknowledging and encouraging women as inventive leaders capable of reshaping and guiding diverse aspects of tourism."

Journal

Tourism Management

DOI

10.1016/j.tourman.2024.104883

Method of Research

Observational study

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

From empowering women to being empowered by women: A gendered social innovation framework for tourism-led development initiatives.

Article Publication Date

12-Jun-2024