Are Women Empowered Producers of Tourism in Pakistan?

Abstract

This chapter, based on ethnographic fieldwork that includes participant observation and interviews undertaken by two Pakistani, Muslim women, investigates the role of women as producers of tourism in Pakistan and asks if their involvement in the production of tourism leads to their empowerment. The chapter explores the opportunities and constraints on women’s empowerment through their work in tourism in three different locations – Chilas in Gilgit-Baltistan territory, Abbottabad in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and Karachi in the province of Sindh – to illustrate that whilst women play an essential part in supporting tourism-related activities it is still an industry dominated by men. The use of three different places to explore women’s work allows a comparison of women’s contribution to tourism at different stages of the sector’s development. The study found that in both Chilas and Abbottabad the exposure of women to the world outside of their homes in terms of business practices, and the social world more generally, means that women face many challenges when they are involved in tourism work, which often acts to prohibit their empowerment. In Karachi, which has a more established tourism sector, and, as a port city has greater external influences on its character compared to the more remote cities of Chilas and Abbottabad, more women contribute independently to the production of tourism. Although this can have a positive impact on their empowerment, many of the women still face challenges as producers of tourism from both sexes who believe in adhering to strict gendered divisions of labour.