The festival industry and gender inequality: The case of Edinburgh, the world's leading festival city

This paper explores issues women face in achieving leadership positions in the festivals sector, and their experiences of gender inequality. The setting is Edinburgh, the UK's leading festivals' tourism destination. Underpinned by feminist research, this study involved semi-structured interviews, including visual methods, with 33 women. Participants were employees or freelance workers in Edinburgh's festivals. Findings were diverse, specific to the individual participants, but some themes were recurrent. Women who had worked in the industry throughout their career reported that while the representation of women leaders in Edinburgh's festivals sector has improved, some aspects remain challenging. This study is the first to consider women's roles and leadership experiences in Edinburgh's festivals and contributes to existing literature in the field of tourism and event studies specifically in terms of gender stereotypes and inequalities in the festivals sector. • This study responds to the paucity of research into experiences of women leaders. • It is an initial study of women's working situation in Edinburgh's festivals. • Findings reveal where gender inequality takes place in Edinburgh's festivals sector. • Conclusions are applicable to other festival settings and further related sectors. • The research contributes to existing knowledge on gender and women leadership.