Book chapter
Socio-cultural barriers to Saudi women's participation in the tourism industry: a systematic literature review
A Research Agenda for Gender and Tourism, pp.91-111
Elgar Research Agendas, Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd
14/04/2023
Metrics
1 Record Views
Abstract
Saudi women make up only 1.2% of the workforce in the Saudi tourism and entertainment sector, indicating the importance of understanding the socio-cultural constraints that affect women in Saudi Arabian workplaces. While women the world over face challenges such as insecure work, access to childcare, and lack of female role models, Islamic countries, and Saudi Arabia in particular, have additional barriers. This chapter reports on the findings of a systematic literature review (SLR) undertaken to examine these barriers. As there is limited literature on Saudi Arabia, Islamic countries more broadly were included. Only 12 relevant articles were identified indicating the paucity of research in the area. The SLR showed that traditional cultural values limit Saudi women’s ability and desire to participate in the workforce. For example, women cannot socialize with men they are not related to, the guardianship law restricts their movements, and major decisions (e.g., accepting a job or studying abroad) require male permission. Saudi women also struggle to overcome pervasive nepotism, whilst their male counterparts are actively advantaged by this cultural norm. These findings indicate the importance of cross-cultural gender research in the Saudi tourism and entertainment industry.
Details
- Title
- Socio-cultural barriers to Saudi women's participation in the tourism industry: a systematic literature review
- Creators
- Rafiah Almathami - University of QueenslandJudith Mair - University of Queensland
- Contributors
- Erica Wilson (Editor) - Southern Cross UniversityDonna Chambers (Editor) - University of Northumbria (UK)
- Publication Details
- A Research Agenda for Gender and Tourism, pp.91-111
- Series
- Elgar Research Agendas
- Publisher
- Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd; CHELTENHAM
- Number of pages
- 21
- Identifiers
- 991013310017102368
- Copyright
- © Erica Wilson and Donna Chambers 2023.
- Academic Unit
- Office of the PVC (Academic Innovation)
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Book chapter