DefinePK

Abstract

Tourism has emerged as a transformative force in the mountain economies of Northern Pakistan, particularly in Hunza Valley, where women are increasingly active in tourism-related livelihoods. This qualitative research study focuses on the economic change of women through tourism in terms of their work, independence, and social performance. The study combines the Social Exchange Theory and the Gendered Economy framework based on 25 qualitative interviews with female entrepreneurs, artisans, and hospitality workers, and analyzed using thematic analysis to understand the empowerment and constraints experienced by women. The results indicate that tourism presents new sources of income and social status, which allows women to bargain for more decision-making capabilities in the family and society. However, it continues to be a partial empowerment process, controlled by patriarchal practices, restricted ownership of assets, and seasonal weaknesses. Although the involvement of women will be an expression of rational exchanges of perceived benefits and costs (SET), their economic outcomes will be incorporated into gendered forms of power. The paper finds that tourism in Hunza is a negotiated and conditional form of change that involves the provision of facilitative institutions, gender-sensitive policies, and appreciation of unpaid labor to transform symbolic empowerment into structural equality. The insights are useful in global discussions on the subject of gender, diversification of livelihood, and sustainable tourism in the peripheral mountain areas.