Commercial hospitality: A vehicle for the sustainable empowerment of Nepali women

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how commercial hospitality has catalysed sustainable social change in Nepal through empowering women. Utilising a new framework, developed by combining existing theories, empowerment of women tea house owners/managers is assessed.

Design/methodology/approach

Within a critical feminist paradigm, primary research consisting of interviews and participant observation was undertaken over a three‐month period in the central region of Nepal.

Findings

Involvement in the hospitality industry improved the livelihoods of the women tea house owners/managers, it also has the potential to facilitate sustainable empowerment for future generations, providing them with education, choice, control and opportunities.

Research limitations/implications

Although steps are taken to limit rhetorical issues, language barriers could have influenced the findings of the interviews. To fully investigate the potential for hospitality to act as a vehicle for the sustainable empowerment of women, it is suggested that this study be replicated again in another region or that a detailed ethnographic study be carried out.

Practical implications

The paper demonstrates how the commercial hospitality industry can be a force for good; women working in the industry are agents of change, actively improving their levels of empowerment in their immediate environment. The commercial hospitality industry has pioneered the empowerment of women and this could lay the foundation for the further emancipation of women.

Originality/value

To date, there has been limited research into the relationship between involvement in the commercial hospitality sector and the empowerment of women; this paper begins to fill this gap by investigating a tourist region of Nepal.

Citation

McMillan, C.L., O'Gorman, K.D. and MacLaren, A.C. (2011), "Commercial hospitality: A vehicle for the sustainable empowerment of Nepali women", International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 23 No. 2, pp. 189-208. https://doi.org/10.1108/09596111111119329