What challenges do younger, female travellers face and what are their coping strategies?
Author: Fleur Archer
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Abstract:
Younger women often face barriers to travel and tourism. These can range from fears over safety, incidences of harassment or feeling the need to adjust certain behaviours whilst travelling. These barriers can cause women to be limited in where they feel they can travel or who they may travel with. As a result a number have coping strategies have emerged that women utilise when they travel. This paper will explore the barriers and consequential coping mechanisms, their effectiveness and hopes and recommendations for the future of women's travel.
Keywords: Gender, access to tourism, women, barriers, coping mechanisms.
Discussion:
Beginning with fear as a barrier to travel, fears over safety can prevent women travelling as they will be seen as more vulnerable by men (Wilson and Little, 2008) and therefore a more likely target for crime. Fear of attack, and sexual attack in particular, can prevent women from being outside alone at night or prevent them from visiting certain places (Jordan and Aitchison, 2008) which restricts their movements and activities whilst travelling. To overcome these limitations, female travellers, particularly solo ones, use coping mechanisms. These include joining larger tour groups so as not to be alone or using tools such as books to block the line of sight of nearby males (ibid). Such mechanisms may be useful but are not, of course, ideal .
The second barrier females face is harassment. Harassment can be very prevalent, especially in southern Europe where one in ten English and German holiday makers experienced it (Cafalat et al, 2013). There is a severe lack of literature on the topic of harassment, but it is obvious that an incidence of harassment would stop a woman from revisiting the location in which it happened. The wider reporting of harassment in particular destinations would also deter new tourists from visiting, including younger females. Coping mechanisms for harassment may overlap with those used for overcoming fear but also include contacting friends and family at home for support or retreating from the location and perpetrator (Wasti and Cortina, 2002). Again, this is not an ideal situation for women. The reasons behind harassment in a destination should be dealt with to prevent it from happening. This would endure women feel safe and welcome whilst travelling, though would be difficult to achieve.
The third challenge which can limit women is having to still be responsible for family and home life whilst on holiday or travelling. This can prevent women from travelling long physical distances away from home as they may feel the need stay close to their families in case of emergencies or unexpected events. It may also prevent women from travelling to more isolated destinations due to a lack of internet or mobile phone signal which would be vital in keeping in contact with home. As a result of familial obligation, "...the chance for true escape from the confines of home and domestic responsibility may be more limited for women." (Harris and Wilson, 2007, 236). Coping mechanisms here are more complex, however it can be said that a supportive and encouraging partner would help to ease the burden of family life and still promote independent travel.
The final barrier to be explored is that of gender and acceptability. In some cases women may often feel the need to alter what would be their normal behaviour whilst they are travelling. This may be so they feel more accepted in the culture of the destination they are visiting or because of their own perceptions on what is appropriate behaviour for females (Harris and Wilson, 2007). Examples of this phenomenon include women having to dress more modestly or speak quietly so as not to draw attention to themselves. It could also mean partaking in drug or alcohol abuse which may be seen as essential to enjoying the destination by peers or fellow travellers. Such pressures can mean that women might not fully enjoy their leisure time as they are not behaving as themselves. Coping mechanisms for these situations are difficult to develop. Women should have the confidence to be themselves and not give in to pressure. Sticking with close friends whilst travelling or spending time with those who hold similar interests would help women fully enjoy their leisure time without having to change.
Conclusions:
To conclude, younger females have devised a number of strategies to overcome the many difficulties they may face whilst travelling. However, they still need to have confidence in themselves and support from the wider world, family and friends if these barriers are to be broken down altogether. More may need to be done by the destinations themselves to make female travellers feel safe and welcome, though this is a long term and extremely difficult goal. There is a definite need for more research around this topic to be undertaken in order to understand more about the challenges women travellers face and how they might overcome them.
Key References:
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. 235-251.
Jordan, F. and Aitchison, C. (2008) Tourism and the sexualisation of the gaze: solo female tourists’ experiences of gendered power, surveillance and embodiment, Leisure Studies, 27(3) 329-349.
Wilson, E. and Little, D. (2008) The Solo Female Travel Experience: Exploring the ‘Geography of Women's Fear', Current Issues in Tourism, 11(2) 167-186.
Younger women often face barriers to travel and tourism. These can range from fears over safety, incidences of harassment or feeling the need to adjust certain behaviours whilst travelling. These barriers can cause women to be limited in where they feel they can travel or who they may travel with. As a result a number have coping strategies have emerged that women utilise when they travel. This paper will explore the barriers and consequential coping mechanisms, their effectiveness and hopes and recommendations for the future of women's travel.
Keywords: Gender, access to tourism, women, barriers, coping mechanisms.
Discussion:
Beginning with fear as a barrier to travel, fears over safety can prevent women travelling as they will be seen as more vulnerable by men (Wilson and Little, 2008) and therefore a more likely target for crime. Fear of attack, and sexual attack in particular, can prevent women from being outside alone at night or prevent them from visiting certain places (Jordan and Aitchison, 2008) which restricts their movements and activities whilst travelling. To overcome these limitations, female travellers, particularly solo ones, use coping mechanisms. These include joining larger tour groups so as not to be alone or using tools such as books to block the line of sight of nearby males (ibid). Such mechanisms may be useful but are not, of course, ideal .
The second barrier females face is harassment. Harassment can be very prevalent, especially in southern Europe where one in ten English and German holiday makers experienced it (Cafalat et al, 2013). There is a severe lack of literature on the topic of harassment, but it is obvious that an incidence of harassment would stop a woman from revisiting the location in which it happened. The wider reporting of harassment in particular destinations would also deter new tourists from visiting, including younger females. Coping mechanisms for harassment may overlap with those used for overcoming fear but also include contacting friends and family at home for support or retreating from the location and perpetrator (Wasti and Cortina, 2002). Again, this is not an ideal situation for women. The reasons behind harassment in a destination should be dealt with to prevent it from happening. This would endure women feel safe and welcome whilst travelling, though would be difficult to achieve.
The third challenge which can limit women is having to still be responsible for family and home life whilst on holiday or travelling. This can prevent women from travelling long physical distances away from home as they may feel the need stay close to their families in case of emergencies or unexpected events. It may also prevent women from travelling to more isolated destinations due to a lack of internet or mobile phone signal which would be vital in keeping in contact with home. As a result of familial obligation, "...the chance for true escape from the confines of home and domestic responsibility may be more limited for women." (Harris and Wilson, 2007, 236). Coping mechanisms here are more complex, however it can be said that a supportive and encouraging partner would help to ease the burden of family life and still promote independent travel.
The final barrier to be explored is that of gender and acceptability. In some cases women may often feel the need to alter what would be their normal behaviour whilst they are travelling. This may be so they feel more accepted in the culture of the destination they are visiting or because of their own perceptions on what is appropriate behaviour for females (Harris and Wilson, 2007). Examples of this phenomenon include women having to dress more modestly or speak quietly so as not to draw attention to themselves. It could also mean partaking in drug or alcohol abuse which may be seen as essential to enjoying the destination by peers or fellow travellers. Such pressures can mean that women might not fully enjoy their leisure time as they are not behaving as themselves. Coping mechanisms for these situations are difficult to develop. Women should have the confidence to be themselves and not give in to pressure. Sticking with close friends whilst travelling or spending time with those who hold similar interests would help women fully enjoy their leisure time without having to change.
Conclusions:
To conclude, younger females have devised a number of strategies to overcome the many difficulties they may face whilst travelling. However, they still need to have confidence in themselves and support from the wider world, family and friends if these barriers are to be broken down altogether. More may need to be done by the destinations themselves to make female travellers feel safe and welcome, though this is a long term and extremely difficult goal. There is a definite need for more research around this topic to be undertaken in order to understand more about the challenges women travellers face and how they might overcome them.
Key References:
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. 235-251.
Jordan, F. and Aitchison, C. (2008) Tourism and the sexualisation of the gaze: solo female tourists’ experiences of gendered power, surveillance and embodiment, Leisure Studies, 27(3) 329-349.
Wilson, E. and Little, D. (2008) The Solo Female Travel Experience: Exploring the ‘Geography of Women's Fear', Current Issues in Tourism, 11(2) 167-186.