Women, Leisure and Tourism provides a comprehensive discussion of women, leisure, and tourism through the lens of leisure production and consumption, both by women and for women. Specifically, this text includes a multi-cultural perspective to highlight the unique attributes leisure brings to women, the role of women in leisure entrepreneurship, and the creation of supportive, inclusive environments to enhance female well-being through the examination of these activities in often overlooked populations. The diversity of women's leisure and tourism practices is best perceived through the links between various leisure practices (e.g., sport, outdoor recreation, travel and tourism, learning, crafts, events, family leisure), as well as an understanding of leisure production across cultures and life stages. These chapters bring to the forefront many of the challenges inherent in providing leisure and tourism that support the diverse needs of women, as well as a look at female innovation that is also often overlooked in leisure research. The book includes examples of both applied and conceptual chapters from global perspectives in academic studies.

Does tourism empower women working in and producing tourism? How are women using the transformations tourism brings to their advantage? How do women, despite prejudice and stereotypes, break free, resist and renegotiate gender norms at the personal and societal levels? When does tourism increase women's autonomy, agency and authority? The first of its kind this book delivers: A critical approach to gender and tourism development from different stakeholder perspectives, from INGOs, national governments, and managers as well as workers in a variety of fields producing tourism. Stories of individual women working across the world in many aspects of tourism. A foreword by Margaret Bryne Swain and contributions from academics and practitions from across the globe. A lively and accessible style of writing that links academic debates with lived realities while offering hope and practical suggestions for improving gender equality in tourism. Gender Equality and Tourism: Beyond Empowerment, a critical gendered analysis that questions the extent to which tourism brings women empowerment, is an engaging and thought-provoking read for students, researchers and practitioners in the areas of tourism, gender studies, development and anthropology.

Women and Travel: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives is a fascinating look at the behavior, motivations, experiences, and needs of women as tourists and travellers, drawing on both historic and contemporary eras. Surprisingly little research has explored key issues, experiences, and opportunities in the context of women’s travel. This revealing volume fills this gap, exploring the discourses, debates, and discussions about women, travel, and tourism. With an international roster of contributors from diverse regions of the world, the book celebrates a variety of women’s voices. Khoo-Lattimore and Wilson deliberately sought to include nontraditional and non-Western perspectives on women’s travel, with inclusions of Asian solo female travelers; Islamic women travellers and the constraints placed on them; and women who cannot travel (or choose, for whatever reason, a ‘home holiday’). This enlightening volume brings together scholars from the broad areas of tourism, hospitality, geography, and leisure studies to examine how and why women travel. The chapters bring light to perspectives from different countries, cultures, backgrounds, and religions, and utilize different methods, approaches and styles of presentation. Women and Travel: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives will be of interest to academics and graduate students from a range of disciplines, including tourism, leisure studies, sociology, cultural geography, anthropology, feminist and gender studies, business, economics and management; as well as professionals working in the tourism industry, particularly those with an interest in niche markets and segmentation.

Sexual spaces, normally inhabited by (mostly) female sex workers, are understood as masculine spaces, and positioned for and around male consumers. However, red light zones and public sex performances in both Thailand and Holland are being explored and visually consumed by female tourists in significant numbers. Their presence in red light districts and sexual venues is at odds with the ways in which sexual spaces have normally been positioned. Woman and Sex Tourism Landscapes explores female tourists' interactions with highly sexualized spaces and places in two very different contexts: the Netherlands and Thailand. Addressing this incongruence, this text explores the ways in which these spaces are constructed, and examines the different relations that govern the management of, and female tourist interactions with these liminal,sexual zones. Ethnographic data collected in both countries suggests that far from being male-centred spaces, the red light districts and associated sexual entertainment venues are very much open to female tourists. Drawing on this research the author argues that some women are indeed interested in exploring sexualized zones, challenging assumptions about women’s involvements with sexual space. Thinking specifically about the visual nature of women's sexualized experiences, the analysis draws on a range of different theoretical understandings that address power, privilege, and the gaze. An important contribution to a range of debates, this book will appeal to students and researchers in tourism, geography, sociology, gender studies and cultural theory.

The highly contested nature of both 'gender' and 'leisure' encapsulates many of the most critical social and cultural debates of the early twenty-first century. Drawing on a wide range of theoretical perspectives, as well as extensive empirical research, Gender and Leisure goes forward to offer a contemporary socio-cultural analysis of gender relations in leisure practice and leisure policy. The book begins by introducing and evaluating the key social and cultural ideologies, philosophies and beliefs that have informed our theoretical understanding of gender and leisure. The particular leisure policies that have emerged from these perspectives are examined. Part two of Gender and Leisure draws on research in social and cultural theory, gender and leisure studies, cultural geography, management and education, and goes on to explore the reality of contemporary gender relations in leisure practice. Leisure policy, leisure management, places and sites of leisure and leisure education are examined, as are the relationships between leisure, sport and tourism.