"Gendered Labor Implications of Ecotourism: An Exploration into how the" by Trinity Harmon

Abstract

This paper investigates ecotourism's sustainability potential, challenges from undefined standards, and its impact on gender dynamics, particularly women's household bargaining power as it relates to women's empowerment and decision-making power. We consider economic theory, including the Heckscher-Ohlin model at the country level and the household bargaining model at the household level, to analyze the impacts of increasing ecotourism through a gender perspective, particularly its effect on women's bargaining power within households and its potential contribution to gender inequalities. Our comprehensive and diverse review of relevant literature collectively unveils the interplay between economic forces, social dynamics, and environmental considerations, thus informing our understanding of the broader societal and environmental implications of ecotourism and setting the stage for our empirical inquiry into its impact on gender dynamics. The methodology employed to investigate the relationship between ecotourism and gender outcomes utilizes secondary data sources and country-level analyses due to practical limitations, which was used to estimate linear regression models revealing preliminary results supporting the hypothesis of an inverse relationship between ecotourism and female labor force participation, notably with relevant changes in significance when control variables are included, alongside additional findings indicating the significance of country environmental consciousness and fertility rate. In conclusion, our investigation makes a contribution to the field as it begins to uncover some of the intricate connections between ecotourism, gender dynamics, and wider societal and environmental realms, providing crucial insights for advancing sustainability and uplifting female populations in ecotourism destinations.

Advisor

Krause, Brooke

Department

Economics

Disciplines

Macroeconomics

Keywords

Ecotourism, Gender dynamics, Decision Making

Publication Date

2024

Degree Granted

Bachelor of Arts

Document Type

Senior Independent Study Thesis

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