Abstract:
Purpose – Sustainability is viewed as an encompassing perspective, as endorsed by the international policy
context, driven by the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We aim to examine how women
entrepreneurs transform capitals to pursue sustainability, and to generate policy insights for sustainability
actions through tourism entrepreneurship.
Design/methodology/approach – Applying qualitative approach, we have generated empirical evidence
drawing on 37 qualitative interviews carried out in Turkey, whereby boundaries between traditional
patriarchal forces and progressive movements in gender relations are blurred.
Findings – We have generated insights into how women entrepreneurs develop their sustainability practice
by transforming their available economic, cultural, social and symbolic capitals in interpreting the macro-field
and by developing navigation strategies to pursue sustainability. This transformative process demonstrates
how gender roles were performed and negotiated in serving for sustainability pillars.
Research limitations/implications – In this paper, we demonstrate the nature and instrumentality of
sustainable tourism entrepreneurship through a gender lens in addressing some of these SDG-driven challenges.
