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Research article2014Peer reviewed

Women tourism entrepreneurs : doing gender on farms in Sweden

Pettersson, Katarina; Heldt Cassel, Susanna

Abstract

Purpose – This paper aims to explore how gender is “done” on farms in Sweden in the context of increased tourism and hospitality activities. The authors seek to investigate how gender is done vis-a`-viswomen’s farm tourism entrepreneurship. They seek to answer the questions: What has motivated the farm women to become tourism entrepreneurs? How are the gendered divisions of labor changed through women starting businesses? How does the gendered associated symbolism, as well as the identities, change? 

Design/methodology/approach – Research has indicated that introducing tourism entrepreneurship at farms may challenge established gender relations, as many of these entrepreneurs are women. The empirical material consists of in-depth interviews with 15 women farm tourism entrepreneurs in central Sweden. 
Findings – The analysis suggests that the gendered divisions of labor are not changed through the interviewed women starting tourism businesses. The authors conclude that the women build their entrepreneurship and develop some of their products on an image of rural domesticity, including a representation of themselves as traditional farm women. At the same time they are changing how gender is done through identifying as entrepreneurs and changing the use of the farms. 
Originality/value – The authors seek to fill the research gap concerning women’s farm tourism entrepreneurship and the potential associated gendered changes. Their theoretical contribution is applying the perspective of “doing gender” and entrepreneurship, for delineating potential changes in gendered relations

Keywords

Entrepreneurship, Tourism, Women, Doing gender, Farms

Published in

Gender in Management: An International Journal
2014, Volume: 29, number: 8, pages: 487-504

    Associated SLU-program

    Cross-programme

    Sustainable Development Goals

    SDG5 Gender equality

    UKÄ Subject classification

    Economic Geography

    Publication identifier

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/GM-02-2014-0016

    Permanent link to this page (URI)

    https://res.slu.se/id/publ/65959