Intersectionality and Female Solo Travel: Rethinking Motivations Amidst Conservative Gender Norms

Afsaneh Rostami; Gary  Daniels; Alexander Trupp; Kamelia Chaichi

doi:10.29333/ejecs/2616

Authors

Afsaneh Rostami Sunway University https://orcid.org/0009-0004-1185-6207
Gary Daniels School of Hospitality and Service Management, Sunway University https://orcid.org/0009-0000-0397-9769
Alexander Trupp University of Innsbruck, Austria https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1093-2824
Kamelia Chaichi Queen Margaret University, United Kingdom https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7204-0659

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29333/ejecs/2616

Keywords:

Female solo travel, Intersectionality, Iranian, Muslim women, Mobility constraints

Abstract

Female solo travel has emerged as a significant sociocultural phenomenon, frequently associated with personal growth, independence, and empowerment. In contexts where gender norms and mobility rights are severely constrained, however, travel solo takes on additional meanings and constraints. In Iran, where Islamic regulations, entrenched patriarchal traditions, and political structures rigorously shape women’s mobility, the motivations for solo travel are deeply interwoven with social identity and lived experience. Drawing on 52 interviews with 25 Iranian women conducted in Malaysia, supplemented by photo-elicitation and serial interviews, this research employs a constructivist grounded theory approach to uncover the fluid, context-specific nature of solo travel motivations. The findings distinguish between solo travel by default, driven by external circumstances such as work, education, or the absence of a companion, and solo travel by choice, motivated by aspirations for freedom, psychological well-being, and self-discovery. Participants often treated even brief periods of unaccompanied transit as meaningful, given expectations of accompaniment. By situating female solo travel within the socio-cultural and political landscapes of Iran, this research contributes to a more intersectional and context-sensitive understanding of women’s mobility across Asia, highlighting how meanings attached to solo travel vary across social position and life stage.

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Author Biographies

Afsaneh Rostami, Sunway University

is a Lecturer in Tourism Studies at Sunway University. She has five years of professional experience in the tourism industry prior to entering academia, which brings strong practical insight to her teaching and research. Her academic background includes a master’s degree focusing on tourism marketing, place branding, and agrotourism. During her PhD studies, her research primarily focused on gender studies within the tourism context. E-mail: Afsanehr@sunway.edu.my

Gary Daniels, School of Hospitality and Service Management, Sunway University

is a senior lecturer in management, entrepreneurship, and employment relations, with more than twenty years of international experience across the United Kingdom, China, and Southeast Asia. His work examines how economic activity, work, and organisation are shaped by social structures, institutional contexts, and everyday practices. He has published internationally in interdisciplinary outlets and contributes to qualitative research projects examining culture, identity, and social relations within constrained or unequal settings. E-mail: garyd@sunway.edu.my

Alexander Trupp, University of Innsbruck, Austria

is currently Guest Professor in Human Geography at the University of Innsbruck, Austria. Before joining Innsbruck, he served as Associate Professor, acting Head of the Asia Pacific Centre for Hospitality Research, and Deputy Dean for Research at Sunway University, Malaysia. His research focuses on social geographies, including (im)mobilities, migration, tourism, sustainability, digitalization, and microbusinesses, with an emphasis on qualitative and creative methods. E-mail: Alexander.Trupp@uibk.ac.at

Kamelia Chaichi, Queen Margaret University, United Kingdom

is a lecturer in Hospitality and Tourism Management at Queen Margaret University and has been an academic since 2013, teaching both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. She has served as a committee member, reviewer, and session chair for various international conferences and reviews for several international journals. A proficient researcher, her work focuses on human resource management, particularly from an individual perspective, exploring the interplay between workplace spirituality, employee well-being, as well as consumer behaviour in the hospitality and tourism industry. E-mail: kchaichi@qmu.ac.uk

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