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The festival industry and gender inequality: the case of Edinburgh, the world's leading festival city

Piccio, Benedetta; Todd, Louise; Robertson, Martin

Authors



Abstract

This paper explores issues women face in achieving leadership positions in the festivals sector, and their experiences of gender inequality. The setting is Edinburgh, the UK's leading festivals' tourism destination. Underpinned by feminist research, this study involved semi-structured interviews, including visual methods, with 33 women. Participants were employees or freelance workers in Edinburgh's festivals. Findings were diverse, specific to the individual participants, but some themes were recurrent. Women who had worked in the industry throughout their career reported that while the representation of women leaders in Edinburgh's festivals sector has improved, some aspects remain challenging. This study is the first to consider women's roles and leadership experiences in Edinburgh's festivals and contributes to existing literature in the field of tourism and event studies specifically in terms of gender stereotypes and inequalities in the festivals sector.

Citation

Piccio, B., Todd, L., & Robertson, M. (2024). The festival industry and gender inequality: the case of Edinburgh, the world's leading festival city. Tourism Management Perspectives, 54, Article 101317. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2024.101317

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Oct 14, 2024
Online Publication Date Oct 30, 2024
Publication Date 2024-11
Deposit Date Oct 16, 2024
Publicly Available Date Oct 16, 2024
Journal Tourism Management Perspectives
Print ISSN 2211-9736
Publisher Elsevier
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 54
Article Number 101317
DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2024.101317
Keywords Women leaders; Edinburgh’s Festivals; Gender (in)equalities; Feminist research
This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals:

SDG 5 - Gender Equality

Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth

Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all

SDG 10 - Reduced Inequalities

Reduce inequality within and among countries

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