Empowerment of Women Employed in Tourism Businesses in Kerman City: A Transition from Passivity to Agency

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Article (Applied - Development)

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Faculty of Tourism, Bam Higher Education Complex, Kerman, Iran.

2 Candidate of tourism Management, Department of Tourism Management, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Mazandaran, Sari, Iran.

10.22103/JUSG.2026.2193

Abstract

Introduction: This study aims to explain the process of occupational identity construction, coping strategies, and the dimensions of sustainable empowerment among women working in tourism businesses in the city of Kerman, with the goal of revealing the gap between the formal discourse of empowerment and field realities.
Data and Method: The research was conducted using a qualitative approach and an ethnographic method. Data were collected through 20 in-depth semi-structured interviews with women active in tourism businesses in Kerman. Participants were selected through purposive sampling with maximum variation, and data collection continued until theoretical saturation was reached. The data were analyzed using Attride-Stirling’s thematic network technique. The validity and reliability of the data were ensured through participant validation, triangulation, and peer review.
Results: Three overarching themes emerged: structural and cultural challenges, coping strategies, and dimensions of sustainable empowerment. The challenges are mainly manifested in patriarchal norms, post-COVID economic instability, and institutional constraints, which limit women's individual and collective agency. Meanwhile, women employ creative strategies such as redefining their occupational identity (transitioning from housewives to tourism entrepreneurs), building informal networks, and utilizing digital technologies to maintain and expand their roles in the tourism value chain. The outcome of these processes is the formation of three dimensions of empowerment: economic, psychological, and social. However, political empowerment remains weak and marginal due to institutional gaps.
Conclusion: Women working in tourism businesses in Kerman have moved from a position of passivity to active agency, forming a model of “conditional empowerment.” This model suggests that achieving sustainable empowerment requires institutional reforms, improved access to financial resources, and strengthening women’s formal participation in tourism decision-making processes.
 

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Main Subjects

Journal of Urban Social Geography

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 23 September 2026

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History

  • Receive Date: 21 October 2025
  • Revise Date: 11 March 2026
  • Accept Date: 10 May 2026

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