Socio-economic background:A key element in understanding growth aspirations of women entrepreneurs in the tourism industry in Tanzania

This chapter draws from Bourdieu’s theory of practice, in particular the concept of cultural capital, to examine influences of the socio-economic background on the growth aspirations of women entrepreneurs in the tourism industry in Tanzania. The goal is to understand women’s growth aspirations in an ecosystem framework. Specifically, we examine how the institutional environment and access to different kinds of capital (social, economic and cultural capital) influence women entrepreneurs’ aspirations to grow their tourism firms. Our findings suggest that one needs to embed the social background in the analysis to understand women’s entrepreneurial aspirations in the Tanzanian context.