Abstract
The innovation gender gap proclaims a female underrepresentation in innovation, mostly measured by patent filing focusing on knowledge-intense industries. That approach neglects service industries with stronger female entrepreneurship, such as tourism. Gender and the type of industry are suggested to influence how innovation is defined and designed. Research on gender differences in approaches to innovation in the tourism sector from an individual actor view is rare. Therefore, this study explores how gender differences are expressed in the innovation approach in tourism small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Paired samples of male and female managers in three SMEs are interviewed. The qualitative content analysis focuses on defining the term innovation, measuring innovation success, and the approach to design innovation activities. The comparison contrasts the findings both based on the biological gender as well as on the feminine and masculine discourse. The study suggests five propositions recommended for future quantitative research.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Alsos, G. A., Hytti, U., & Ljunggren, E. (2016). Gender and innovation—An introduction. In G. A. Alsos, U. Hytti, & E. Ljunggren (Eds.), Research handbook on gender and innovation (pp. 3–16). Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781783478132.00006
Audretsch, D. B., Belitski, M., & Brush, C. (2020). Innovation in women-led firms: An empirical analysis. Economics of Innovation and New Technology, 31(1–2), 90–110. https://doi.org/10.1080/10438599.2020.1843992
Beritelli, P., Buffa, F., & Martini, U. (2016). Logics and interlocking directorships in a multi-stakeholder system. Journal of Destination Marketing and Management, 5(2), 107–116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2015.11.005
Bijedić, T., Brink, S., Ettl, K., Kriwoluzky, S., & Welter, F. (2016). Women’s innovation in Germany—Empirical facts and conceptual explanations Teita Bijedic. In G. A. Alsos, U. Hytti, & E. Ljunggren (Eds.), Research Handbook on Gender and Innovation (pp. 51–71). Edward Elgar Publishing.
Biscione, A., Boccanfuso, D., Caruso, R., & de Felice, A. (2022). The innovation gender gap in transition countries. Economia Politica, 39(2), 493–516. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40888-021-00238-4
Büchel, J., & Engels, B. (2023). Digitalisierung der Wirtschaft in Deutschland - Digitalisierungsindex 2022. Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz (BMWK).
Carrasco, I. (2014). Gender gap in innovation: An institutionalist explanation. Management Decision, 52(2), 410–424. https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-07-2012-0533
Chesbrough, H. (2003). Open innovation: The new imperative for creating and profiting from technology. Harvard Business School Publishing.
Commission, E. (2021). She figures 2021. European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation. https://doi.org/10.2777/078011
Ebneyamini, S., & Sadeghi Moghadam, M. R. (2018). Toward develo** a framework for conducting case study research. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 17(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406918817954
Elsahn, Z., Callagher, L., Husted, K., Korber, S., & Siedlok, F. (2020). Are rigor and transparency enough? Review and future directions for case studies in technology and innovation management. R and D Management, 50(3), 309–328. https://doi.org/10.1111/radm.12412
European Institute for Gender Equality. (2023). Gender statistics database, self-employment by sex, age and economic activity. Retrieved July 10, 2023, from https://eige.europa.eu/gender-statistics/dgs/indicator/ta_wrklab_lab_employ_nonstad_self_inter_sector__lfsa_esgan2/datatable
Flyvbjerg, B. (2006). Five misunderstandings about case-study research. Qualitative Research Practice, 12(2), 390–404. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077800405284363
Foss, L., & Henry, C. (2016). Doing gender in innovation: A thematic review and critique of the literature. In G. A. Alsos, U. Hytti, & E. Ljunggren (Eds.), Research handbook on gender and innovation (pp. 17–48). Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781783478132
Gausemeier, J., Dumitrescu, R., Echterfeld, J., Pfänder, T., Steffen, D., & Thielemann, F. (2019). Innovationen für die Märkte von morgen [Innovations for markets of tomorrow]. Carl Hanser Verlag.
Hozer-Kocmiel, M., Misiak-Kwit, S., Lisowska, E., & Ruminska-Zimny, E. (2017). Gender and innovation in the countries of the Baltic Sea region. International Journal of Contemporary Management, 16(1), 109–126. https://doi.org/10.4467/24498939ijcm.17.005.7049
Lindberg, M., Lindgren, M., & Packendorff, J. (2014). Quadruple helix as a way to bridge the gender gap in entrepreneurship: The case of an innovation system project in the Baltic Sea region. Journal of the Knowledge Economy, 5(1), 94–113. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13132-012-0098-3
Lingyan, M., Qamruzzaman, M., & Adow, A. H. E. (2021). Technological adaption and open innovation in smes: An strategic assessment for women-owned SMEs sustainability in Bangladesh. Sustainability (switzerland), 13(5), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13052942
Martini, U., Malacarne, K., Pederzolli Giovanazzi, S., & Buffa, F. (2020). Sustainable tourism development in rural and marginal areas and opportunities for female entrepreneurship: Lessons from an exploratory study. Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, 12(4), 421–430. https://doi.org/10.1108/WHATT-05-2020-0023
Martins, S., Fernandes, E., & Leite, R. (2016). Gendered understandings of innovation in nursing and entrepreneurship: An exploratory study in the Portuguese context. In Research handbook on gender and innovation (pp. 107–126). https://doi.org/10.4337/9781783478132
Marx, S., & Arens, L. (2023). Towards a framework for participative innovation in tourism. In V. Katsoni (Ed.), Tourism, travel, and hospitality in a smart and sustainable world (pp. 307–321). Springer Proceedings. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-26829-8_19
Marx, S., & Klotz, M. (2023). Entrepreneurship during crisis: Innovation practices of micro and small tour operators. The International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, 24(3), 155–166. https://doi.org/10.1177/14657503211061025
Mayring, P. (2022). Qualitative Inhaltsanalyse : Grundlagen und Techniken (13th ed.). Beltz.
Montañés-Del-Río, M. Á., & Medina-Garrido, J. A. (2020). Determinants of the propensity for innovation among entrepreneurs in the tourism industry. Sustainability (Switzerland), 12(12). https://doi.org/10.3390/su12125003
Nordli, A. J. (2017). Measuring innovation in tourism with community innovation survey: A first step towards a more valid innovation instruments. Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism, 17(4), 423–440. https://doi.org/10.1080/15022250.2016.1247382
OECD/Eurostat. (2018). Oslo manual 2018: Guidelines for collecting, reporting and using data on innovation (4th ed.). OECD Publishing and Eurostat. https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264304604-en
Pisano, G. (2015). You need an innovation strategy. Harvard Business Review, 2015, 45–54.
Poutanen, S., & Kovalainen, A. (2017). Gender and innovation in the new economy. Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-52702-8
Ratten, V., & Braga, V. (2019). Tourism innovation. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 41(October), 171–174. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2019.10.002
Schubert, T., & Rammer, C. (2023). ZEW Branchenreport Innovationen Reisevermittlung, 30(45).
Schumpeter, J. A. (1935). The analysis of economic change. The Review of Economics and Statistics, 17(4), 2–10. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1927845
Sternberg, R., Gorynia-Pfeffer, N., Stolz, L., Schauer, J., Baharian, A., & Wallisch, M. (2022). Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Unternehmensgründungen im weltweiten Vergleich Länderbericht Deutschland 2021/22. RKW Rationalisierungs- und Innovationszentrum der Deutschen Wirtschaft e. V.
Thirumalesh Madanaguli, A., Kaur, P., Bresciani, S., & Dhir, A. (2021). Entrepreneurship in rural hospitality and tourism. A systematic literature review of past achievements and future promises. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 33(8). https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-09-2020-1121
United Nations. (2023). Gender equality. Retrieved July 7, 2023, from https://www.un.org/en/global-issues/gender-equality
Verleye, K. (2019). Designing, writing-up and reviewing case study research: An equifinality perspective. Journal of Service Management, 30(5), 549–576. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOSM-08-2019-0257
Wikhamn, B. R., & Knights, D. (2013). Open innovation, gender and the infiltration of masculine discourses. International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship, 5(3), 275–297. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJGE-Sep-2012-0041
Wynarczyk, P., & Ranga, M. (2017). Introduction setting the scene: An insight into the “gender divide” in science and technological advancement. In P. Wynarczyk & M. Ranga (Eds.), Technology, commercialization and gender (pp. 1–16). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49923-9
Zenker, S., & Kock, F. (2020). The coronavirus pandemic—A critical discussion of a tourism research agenda. Tourism Management, 81, 104164. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2020.104164
Zhang, X., Song, H., & Huang, G. Q. (2009). Tourism supply chain management: A new research agenda. Tourism Management, 30(3), 345–358. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2008.12.010
Acknowledgements
We want to thank Stralsund University of Applied Sciences for supporting this research, and we express our gratitude to the interviewees for making their time and experience available to our research.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2024 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this paper
Cite this paper
Marx, S., Klotz, M. (2024). Gender Gap in Tourism SME Innovation Practices. In: Katsoni, V., Cassar, G. (eds) Recent Advancements in Tourism Business, Technology and Social Sciences. IACuDiT 2023. Springer Proceedings in Business and Economics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-54342-5_5
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-54342-5_5
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-54341-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-54342-5
eBook Packages: Business and ManagementBusiness and Management (R0)