Women, festival leadership, and social transformations: The case of Edinburgh, the world's leading festival city

Piccio, Benedetta

Abstract

Edinburgh is internationally renowned for its festivals, with some now celebrating their 76th year. The workforce in the sector is predominantly composed by women, nevertheless, little research has been undertaken regarding gender equality and conditions for women working in Edinburgh’s festivals. This postdisciplinary PhD, underpinned by a feminist paradigm and qualitative methodology, studies the extent to which women working in Edinburgh’s festivals sector achieve leadership positions; and the reasons underpinning this. The research aims to understand the issues and challenges faced by women working in Edinburgh’s festivals. It investigates the influence of society and culture. The research also considers gender stereotypes, and to what extent gendered roles are important to the way women perceive themselves. Through a feminist lens, this research considers festival leadership, and what skills are required in this setting.
The significance of this research is both within the topic and its feminist methodology. Semi structured interviews with visual methods, specifically photo-voice, were employed. These were undertaken with women who have worked in Edinburgh’s festivals. Research findings indicate that women experience a series of challenges. Some are caused by the nature of festivals, being temporary in nature, timebound, and with busy schedules. Others are a consequence of gender stereotypes, and gendered roles. Moreover, findings around festival leadership revealed the skills required in this role, and the value of a collective and genderless approach.
The conclusions emerging from this PhD study make an important contribution to knowledge and theory building in festival leadership, women leadership, and gender (in)equalities in festivals. Key findings confirm social expectations society has on women seen as primary caregivers. Women experience several gender inequalities, as well as Tokenism, Role Congruity, and the Queen Bee Phenomenon. These findings contribute to wider literature in event, tourism, and hospitality management, advancing the understanding of issues relating to equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), and presenting a new understanding of the key skills required for festival leaders.

Citation

Piccio, B. Women, festival leadership, and social transformations: The case of Edinburgh, the world's leading festival city. (Thesis). Edinburgh Napier University

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Sep 4, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Sep 4, 2024
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.17869/enu.2024.3789761
• Keywords: Women Leadership, Women Leaders, Arts Festivals, Edinburgh Festivals, Gender Inequalities, Feminist Research, Qualitative Research
• Award Date: Jul 4, 2024