The role of women in tourism in KwaZulu-Natal Case studies from the South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal

• Published in: Agenda (Durban) Vol. 31; no. 1; pp. 128 - 139
• Main Authors: Mkhize, Gabi, Cele, Nokuthula
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Routledge 02-01-2017
• Subjects: democracy; development; gender; intersectionality; patriarchy; rural; tourism; women
• ISSN: 1013-0950; 2158-978X
• DOI: 10.1080/10130950.2017.1371527

In precolonial Africa patriarchal divisions of labour by gender emphasised and reinforced 'normative' women's productive and reproductive roles (Guy, 1987; Eldredge, 1993). Vertical control of labour power by men denied most women the possession of cattle and land, which were the primary source of wealth. Such unequal relations bolstered chiefly power and precolonial state formation in Africa. Colonial and apartheid penetration in South Africa (SA) tapped into these local relations of gendered power, sometimes entrenching patriarchal schemas in collaboration with African men to suit colonial interests (Schmidt, 1992). These precolonial, colonial and apartheid patriarchal and gendered relations of power continued to be sustained within the public and private domains of SA (Bozzoli, 1983). The liberation struggle, and the Truth and Reconciliation Committee in the 1990s addressed political issues in the hope that political freedoms would inevitably tackle other wider social struggles. Such disparities in approach to freedom left the agency of previously disadvantaged groups, notably women, outside the scope of political attention, and frustrated women's attempts to balance their pre-1994 accounts with the discourse of a democratic SA.
Literature has much to say about how tourism benefits in the new SA should be extended to previously disadvantaged communities, mainly black people. As part of Local Economic Development vision and tourism policy initiative, the South African Government promotes a pro-poor tourism development strategy, local community participation, skills development, job creation, poverty reduction and, ultimately, tourism-based economic developments in black residential areas such as townships and rural villages. Examination of the current literature, however, suggests that gender inequality remains a strong component in tourism. Such unequal, gender-based relations impinge on the development of black African rural women in tourism. Using a case study of the South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) this article discusses the intersection of race and gender in the study of tourism in KZN and SA in general. It concludes that as the tourism industry grows in SA, attention should be given to analysis of the role of women, specifically black African rural women, as one of the innovative paradigms in tourism. There is a need for a fresh focus on the subjective development, fundamental issues and competitive advantage of black African rural women striving for a fair chance in the tourism economy.