The Tourist Experiences of Fathers

The lack of research into fathers on holiday is a reminder that understandings of masculinities and gender relations in tourism are absent compared to other disciplinary areas such as family studies. Research on family holiday experiences is largely informed by feminist gender representations rather than examinations of femininities and masculinities. Previous studies highlight the never-ending physical and emotional work of motherhood both at home and when travelling with little acknowledgment of any gender-related constraints that fathers might face. True gender scholarship requires a more critical appraisal of gender relations that is inclusive of the male voice in family tourism. There has been whole-family research highlighting the role of fathers in taking on primary responsibilities as entertainer of the children and facilitator of mothers’ own interests (Schänzel and Smith, 2011) which requires further inquiry. However, research into fatherhood also needs to be more inclusive of diverse family forms and a range of fathering experiences, such as, solo-fathers, non-resident fathers and gay fathers. This study extends previous research into nuclear families and focuses on the family holiday experiences of fathers travelling with their children without the mothers. It will be based on 6-8 semi-structured interviews with a range of solo and non-resident fathers in Auckland, New Zealand and conducted after the summer holidays in January/ February 2014. Because of the explorative nature of this research an interpretative paradigm and in-depth interviewing is chosen. The aim of this study is to understand the experiences and meanings gained by single fathers travelling with their children. The findings of this research and comparisons to earlier research on nuclear families will be presented.

SCHÄNZEL, H. A. & SMITH, K. A. 2011. The absence of fatherhood: achieving true gender scholarship in family tourism research. Annals of Leisure Research, 14, 129-140.