An analysis of barriers faced by women tourism entrepreneurs in Barcelona: employing a feminist ethic of care

Barcelona is an internationally recognised tourism destination and the most alluring place in Spain for entrepreneurship; however, notably women are underrepresented in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. To give voice to Barcelona’s female entrepreneurs in the tourism sector and other stakeholders in the city’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, this study adopts a regional perspective and a feminist ethic of care theoretical lens. Our analysis aligns with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Specifically, we take up Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 Gender Equality which aims to implement gender based practical solutions worldwide. The goal of our analysis is to understand the culture of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Barcelona to better understand how Spain may progress SDG 5. The study adopted a qualitative approach, analysing semi-structured interviews with female business owners and those involved in Barcelona’s entrepreneurial environment. Our analysis, which used the techniques of grounded theory identified three key concerns related to gender equity in the entrepreneurial ecosystem including: (i) Gendered Divisions in the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem; (ii) Societal Conditioning and Gender Norms: Reinforcing Gender Inequities; and (iii) Challenges Pursuing Entrepreneurship and Motherhood. Each category will be discussed below. Emerging from our analysis we propose a strategy to address the identified issues using an ethic of care lens, examining the relationship between the different phases of care as proposed by Fisher and Tronto (1990). Our discussion is enriched by providing the tourism sector with best practices.