BRIDGING GENDER GAPS IN TOURISM: EXPLORING WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT AND ITS IMPACT ON SUSTAINABLE TOURISM DEVELOPMENT

Tourism plays a vital role in driving economic growth and community development. The active participation of diverse social groups is essential to achieving sustainable tourism. However, the persistence of patriarchal norms continues to hinder effective management and inclusivity within the tourism sector, especially in Indonesia. This study examines the relationships among women’s empowerment, women’s entrepreneurship, and perceptions of women’s work toward sustainable tourism development, with tourism involvement as a mediating variable. Using an online survey of 327 respondents, data were analyzed through Structural Equation Modeling–Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS). The results show that while women's empowerment, women's entrepreneurship, and tourism involvement are indirectly related to sustainable tourism development, perceptions of women's work do not have a significant direct impact, and tourism involvement does not mediate the relationship between women's empowerment or entrepreneurship and sustainable tourism. These results suggest that gender disparities remain a barrier to achieving sustainable tourism development. While tourism stakeholders acknowledge women’s potential contribution to the industry, societal perceptions still confine women’s roles primarily to domestic responsibilities. This study contributes to the understanding of how gender dynamics indirectly influence sustainable tourism development in Indonesia, highlighting the persistence of patriarchal norms as a barrier to inclusivity and effective tourism management.