Do women entrepreneurs face gender-based barriers when starting their own business in Barcelona's tourism sector?

Abstract

Gender inequality is one of the challenges of the Agenda 2030 and one of the pending subjects in tourism’s path towards sustainability. This study aims to give insights of women’s situation in Barcelona’s tourism entrepreneurial market and clarify what are the initial barriers that are causing their underrepresentation. The barriers contemplated in this study which derive from previous research include: motivation, education, previous labour experience, family obligations, networking, risk aversion, social roles and self-perception. This research thesis has been conducted by means of qualitative data and semi-structured interviews to go deeper into the pre-selected barriers that frame the research purpose. The findings draw some guidelines for tourism stakeholders to improve their contribution to entrepreneurship parity and the overall sector’s social sustainability.