The Influences of Cultural Collectivism and Participation in Decision-Making on Women's Economic Empowerment in Zanzibar Tourism Industry

The victimization of women in Zanzibar by social evils with denied opportunities that could improve their well-being in various facets of life and concerns about cultural beliefs and norms that have impeded them from participating largely in developed programs in the tourism sector have been documented. Hence, the purpose of this study was to examine the influences of cultural collectivism and participation in decision-making on women’s economic empowerment in the Zanzibar tourism sector. The study utilized a quantitative research approach and incorporated survey and causal designs. The data was collected using structured questionnaires from 387 women who have been in tourism activities from nine wards of Zanzibar and the respondents were selected using a multistage cluster sampling technique. The study IBMSPSS to analyze the data. The study discovered that women’s economic empowerment level was high in the Zanzibar tourism industry. Also, participation in decision-making significantly influenced women’s economic empowerment more than cultural collectivism among women working in the Zanzibar tourism sector. Women's economic empowerment in the tourism industry is a stout product of participation in decision-making and cultural collectivism respectively, and ignoring the gains of women’s participation in decision-making, and inclusivity via cultural collectivism is detrimental to sustainable economic development and societal well-being. The study contributes to the limited understanding of how women in Zanzibar are reactive to various factors including economic empowerment level, number of household members, and their employment. The study further revealed the importance of cultural collectivism adoption for enhanced economic development and family well-being.