Muslim Women Travellers’ Constraints: A Critical Review

Breaking barriers for Bangladeshi female solo travelers

“…Although a few studies have explored the barriers and constraints for Bangladeshi women specific to mobility (Kabeer, 2017;Kotikula & Raza, 2020), there is limited work exploring certain power dynamics constraining Asian Muslim women's travel experiences (Tavakoli & Mura, 2021). It may be presumed that Muslim women prefer to travel to other Muslim countries, or that they are averse to travel altogether, when in reality, the Qur'an encourages Muslims to travel for cultural, historical, and social engagement with others in order to disseminate God's word (Falk, Ballantyne, & Packer 2012), relieve stress, and improve travelers' faith in Allah (Battour et al, 2011;Yusof & Muhammad, 2013;Zamani-Farahani & Henderson, 2010).…”

“…As a result, these components must be examined when determining the travel constraints of Muslim women. While travel constraints may vary across national borders, Tavakoli and Mura's (2021) critical review of Muslim women travelers' constraints suggests that constraints are recurringly experienced at both the micro (individual and family) and macro (national and international) levels. At the micro level, solo female travelers are concerned about their safety due to high incidents of sexual harassment and may perceive wearing a hijab as a risk because of the rise in Islamophobia following the 9/11 terrorist attacks (Ratthinan & Selamat, 2019).…”

“…Others are deterred by guilt, as thoughts of leaving their family and day to day duties behind causes mental stress (Ratthinan & Selamat, 2019). This is because many solo female travelers are financially dependent on family and seeks to preserve a loving relationship with them (Tavakoli & Mura, 2021). In fact, it is quite normal for Muslim women to seek approval from other family members prior to traveling (Tavakoli & Mura, 2017), which requires their prioritization of work and family obligation, leaving limited time for travel (Ratthinan & Selamat, 2019).…”

“…For example, the social and cultural norms of Malay Muslim women expect them to be subservient wives, caring mothers, and obedient daughters (Abdullah et al, cited in Ratthinan & Selmat, 2019). Travel becomes even more restricted for women engaged in professional careers, who would prioritize their cultural responsibilities above opportunities to travel for self-fulfilment (Tavakoli & Mura, 2021) At the national level, Islamic cultural practices and socio-religious norms are also identified as constraints to women travel (Tavakoli & Mura, 2021). For example, unless solo women travelers book hotels in Iran through the authorities or travel agencies, they are not permitted to stay (Tavakoli & Mura, 2017).…”

Travel decision making during and after the COVID-2019 pandemic: Revisiting travel constraints, gender role, and behavioral intentions

“…In tourism literature, gender differences concerning travel behaviors are regrettably overlooked (Huang and van der Veen, 2019). However, we do find some evidence suggesting that gender could somehow explain differences of travel behaviors through a comprehensive literature review, including tourists' perception of travel constraints (Hudson, 2000;Losada et al, 2016;Tavakoli and Mura, 2021). Specifically, a few studies indicate that female travelers are inclined to perceive more risks and constraints when they participate in travel activities due to gender roles expectations (Jackson and Henderson, 1995;Nyaupane and Andereck, 2008;De Pascale et al, 2022).…”