Gender Gap in Tourism SME Innovation Practices

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.