Tourism, Indigenous women and empowerment: A case study of Taveuni, Fiji

For the Pacific Island nation of Fiji, tourism is the largest contributor to gross domestic product and foreign exchange, and is a catalyst for the development of iTaukei (indigenous Fijian) communities. This thesis explored the ways that tourism employment impacts the lives of iTaukei women on the island of Taveuni. The study took a qualitative, interpretive approach, heavily influenced by an Indigenist framework, the Fijian Vanua Research Framework (FVRF). Scheyvens’ (1999) framework of economic, social, psychological and political empowerment was adopted, with findings revealing that iTaukei women attained numerous levels of empowerment, with positive outcomes for them, their families and their communities.