Gender Equality In Tourism---The Solo Female Travel Experience
Author: Yinghua Li
2 Commentries
Abstract: This Discussion paper is based on Strand 2 ‘Gender, empowerment and tourism’. For this discussion paper is focus on gender inequality in tourism, especially it related to solo female tourists that show what they desires and motivations are. And from another side, it also mentions the constraints and challenges on independent female travel.
Keywords: Gender, inequality, tourism, solo female travel, empowerment and constraints for solo female traveller, desire and motivations
Gender inequality can be explained that females are at a disadvantage position with respect to similarly situated male (Lorber, 2010: 4). For example, due to gender differences are produced under natural and culturally factors, when females work outside the home, they always get less paid for the same amount of time and work with males, and it is hard for them to get chances for advancement. Compared with men, they can easily be recognized in the workplace and move up the career ladder faster.
The meaning of gendered tourist is women as consumers in travel. Here are have some data demonstrating that female travellers have become main consumers in tourism market. More specifically, female travellers account for about half of the pleasure and business travel market, respectively. In addition, Kain and King (2004) and Newlands (2004) claim that females tend to be more represented in the backpacker market (Harris and Wilson, 2007: 236). Since the 18th and 19th centuries, travellers have always been known as ‘adventurers’ and ‘explorers’. Today, female independent ravel has become common situation in their lives.
There are many factors that can encourage women to go their own travel independently. These elements also include desires and motivations for females to travel independently.
1- Independent tourism can provide freedom, confidence and self-control to all females
2- The developing of social media serves as a main factor that can motivate females to travel.
3- Network development allow many female travellers who want to share their personal travel experience and travel writing on their blogs, it gives courage and confidence to some female who want to begin their journey.
However, everything has two sides, and the drawback also cannot be ignored when solo females start their own journey. There is study showing women tend to be more highly constrained than men in tourism and leisure activities (Wilson and Little, 2008:168). In addition, constraints are heightened for women when they participate in some activities or are in outdoor environments; they worry to suffer harassment or male violence (Wilson and Little, 2008:168). For example, about female travel alone debate was began in 2013, due to a female solo traveller who were killed in Istanbul, and later, six Spanish women were raped in Mexico. As a result, the negative effect on female solo traveller has been exposed
In fact, women are still the primary victims of rape and sexual assault around the world (Wilson and Little, 2008:170). Therefore, in order to avoid of harm and dangerous surrounds by women, a feminist geographer Valentine’s who claim some strategies to avoid dangerous when their travel independently.
1- Valentine’s states that a male violence association in certain environmental has a significant effect on many female ‘use of space’. Hence, Valentine’s also suggested that women ‘mental maps of feared ’ are from hearing some frightening experience and advice by others and from media reporting (Wilson and Little, 2008:168).
2- Valentine put forward that women can use one avoidance strategies, when their in some public environment, such as restricting their movements to certain areas in certain time of the day (Wilson and Little, 2008:168).
In other words, at any time that bad thing can happen to anyone, hence, tourists must adopt measures to deal with, as far as possible to ensure their own safety. Here are have some tips, in order to ensure the safety of the solo female travellers.
1-Donot wear expensive jewellery and take a lot of cash, and drinking in unfamiliar environment
2-Check the hotel window, door and confirm that it is locked when you back to yours room after a day.
3-Once you arriving destination, remember to prevent your passport in a safe place, and copy it, then with it.
4-When you go to a foreign country, remember to take a hotel name card, when you cannot find the hotel location, you can take this card to the taxi driver.
Today, with the development of tourism industry, all of the tourism activities is to open the door for anyone, whatever both women and men, and also with the improvement of people’s awareness on feminist, it is shows women’s have some right as men by choose travel on independently, and that can be understand and support by others people on the society.
Reference
Harris, C. and Wilson, E. (2007) Travelling beyond the boundaries of constraint: Women, Travel and Empowerment. In: Pritchard, A., Morgan, N., Ateljevic, I. and Harris, C., Tourism & Gender: embodiment, sensuality and experience, pp. 235-251.
Wilson, E. and Little, D.E. (2008) The Solo Female Travel Experience: Exploring the ‘Geography of Women's Fear’, Current Issues in Tourism, 11(2), pp. 167-186.
Lorber, J. (2010) Gender inequality, 4th edition. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc.
Keywords: Gender, inequality, tourism, solo female travel, empowerment and constraints for solo female traveller, desire and motivations
Gender inequality can be explained that females are at a disadvantage position with respect to similarly situated male (Lorber, 2010: 4). For example, due to gender differences are produced under natural and culturally factors, when females work outside the home, they always get less paid for the same amount of time and work with males, and it is hard for them to get chances for advancement. Compared with men, they can easily be recognized in the workplace and move up the career ladder faster.
The meaning of gendered tourist is women as consumers in travel. Here are have some data demonstrating that female travellers have become main consumers in tourism market. More specifically, female travellers account for about half of the pleasure and business travel market, respectively. In addition, Kain and King (2004) and Newlands (2004) claim that females tend to be more represented in the backpacker market (Harris and Wilson, 2007: 236). Since the 18th and 19th centuries, travellers have always been known as ‘adventurers’ and ‘explorers’. Today, female independent ravel has become common situation in their lives.
There are many factors that can encourage women to go their own travel independently. These elements also include desires and motivations for females to travel independently.
1- Independent tourism can provide freedom, confidence and self-control to all females
2- The developing of social media serves as a main factor that can motivate females to travel.
3- Network development allow many female travellers who want to share their personal travel experience and travel writing on their blogs, it gives courage and confidence to some female who want to begin their journey.
However, everything has two sides, and the drawback also cannot be ignored when solo females start their own journey. There is study showing women tend to be more highly constrained than men in tourism and leisure activities (Wilson and Little, 2008:168). In addition, constraints are heightened for women when they participate in some activities or are in outdoor environments; they worry to suffer harassment or male violence (Wilson and Little, 2008:168). For example, about female travel alone debate was began in 2013, due to a female solo traveller who were killed in Istanbul, and later, six Spanish women were raped in Mexico. As a result, the negative effect on female solo traveller has been exposed
In fact, women are still the primary victims of rape and sexual assault around the world (Wilson and Little, 2008:170). Therefore, in order to avoid of harm and dangerous surrounds by women, a feminist geographer Valentine’s who claim some strategies to avoid dangerous when their travel independently.
1- Valentine’s states that a male violence association in certain environmental has a significant effect on many female ‘use of space’. Hence, Valentine’s also suggested that women ‘mental maps of feared ’ are from hearing some frightening experience and advice by others and from media reporting (Wilson and Little, 2008:168).
2- Valentine put forward that women can use one avoidance strategies, when their in some public environment, such as restricting their movements to certain areas in certain time of the day (Wilson and Little, 2008:168).
In other words, at any time that bad thing can happen to anyone, hence, tourists must adopt measures to deal with, as far as possible to ensure their own safety. Here are have some tips, in order to ensure the safety of the solo female travellers.
1-Donot wear expensive jewellery and take a lot of cash, and drinking in unfamiliar environment
2-Check the hotel window, door and confirm that it is locked when you back to yours room after a day.
3-Once you arriving destination, remember to prevent your passport in a safe place, and copy it, then with it.
4-When you go to a foreign country, remember to take a hotel name card, when you cannot find the hotel location, you can take this card to the taxi driver.
Today, with the development of tourism industry, all of the tourism activities is to open the door for anyone, whatever both women and men, and also with the improvement of people’s awareness on feminist, it is shows women’s have some right as men by choose travel on independently, and that can be understand and support by others people on the society.
Reference
Harris, C. and Wilson, E. (2007) Travelling beyond the boundaries of constraint: Women, Travel and Empowerment. In: Pritchard, A., Morgan, N., Ateljevic, I. and Harris, C., Tourism & Gender: embodiment, sensuality and experience, pp. 235-251.
Wilson, E. and Little, D.E. (2008) The Solo Female Travel Experience: Exploring the ‘Geography of Women's Fear’, Current Issues in Tourism, 11(2), pp. 167-186.
Lorber, J. (2010) Gender inequality, 4th edition. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc.