The She Traveler: Challenges and Critical Considerations
Dr. A. Poorani
Assistant Professor and Head, Government Arts College, Tiruchirappalli
Remigius
Student, Government Arts College, Tiruchirappalli
Urban working women with economic and social independence have started traveling far and wide to explore the world beyond their own homes. However, the patriarchal structures prevalent in our society have segregated spaces based on gender and have restricted mobility, limiting access to public spaces for women. Citing Phadke, et.al., Basu (2019) observes that in order to maximize their access to public space, women do not need “greater surveillance or protectionism,” but rather “the right to engage in risk.” This research paper is set on the premise that women’s willingness to take risks and enthusiasm to travel for leisure intersect with challenges like fear, guilt, safety concerns, restricted mobility, gender imbalance in tourist destinations, etc.
The researchers have chosen working women who belong to early adulthood (20 – 40 years of age) as the study population. The study uses mixed methods research for a collection of data. Solo travelers or women who travel in all-women groups were identified through snowball sampling and an online survey was conducted to understand the issues and challenges faced by them during travel. Informal, semi-structured interviews were conducted with a few women who participated in the survey to gain a deeper understanding of the internal and external challenges of women travelers.
Keywords: Gender Imbalance, Gendered Space, Leisure Travel, Mixed Methods Research, Mobility
The above paper is presented at National Media Management Conference on Communicating Tourism: Media, Soft Power, and Management powered by In-Depth Communication.
16 November 2019 | St. Xavier’s College, Kothavara, Vaikom, Kerala
All abstracts have been published in conference souvenir with ISBN 978-1-647337-82-7