Travel Behavior: The Hidden En-Gendered Dynamics

Abstract

Travel and tourism has become one leisure pursuit in which both genders have started enjoying unparallel freedom in terms of near equal participation. In a phenomenon earlier dominated by males, now women form an important segment primarily on account of the progressive social changes in the interest of women favoring their social interest. Though there has been a significant restructuring of social roles with times it has been difficult to completely erase the strict traditional ‘doing gender’ associated with males and females regardless of advancement and progress in societies. While fusion of gender roles can be seen to a significant extent in advanced societies, the strictly patriarchal, male dominated developing societies still remain tinctured with a deep essence of gender segregation. This exploratory study is aimed at investigating if ‘doing gender’ is manifest in travel behavior of males and females. With the aim of understanding the relationship between gender and certain dimensions of travel, the study aims to find out if the genders abide by and carry out strict traditional gender roles in the domain of travel. A further comparison of tourist of Foreign and Indian origin is made to understand if the travel behavior of either gender is characterized by segregation or fusion of gender roles which can indicate the extent to which the societal context patterns the that roles males and females play in travel.

Keywords: Gender, Travel, Responsibilities

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