A thesis submitted in patial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Gender and Development Studies

Thesis (M. Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2026

This study examines how participation in community-based ecotourism shapes women{u2019}s empowerment in Lake Pandin, Laguna, Philippines. Specifically, it analyzes how women{u2019}s involvement in a women-led cooperative influences economic agency, gendered labor dynamics, leadership participation, and collective governance within the community-based tourism initiative. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study combines survey data from cooperative and non-cooperative women with in-depth interviews of cooperative members and key informants, including local government actors. Findings reveal that participation in ecotourism expanded women{u2019}s economic roles by providing a more consistent source of income compared to their previous livelihoods. Women emphasized that while earnings were often modest, the relative regularity of income was important in supporting household survival and daily needs. Income from ecotourism enabled women to contribute to children{u2019}s education, household expenses, and improvements in living conditions. Beyond financial contributions, women also developed practical and organizational skills such as hospitality, first aid, financial management, and communication, which strengthened their confidence, social engagement, and capacity to participate in community affairs. The study further finds that empowerment remains conditional rather than absolute. Women{u2019}s experiences of empowerment were shaped by structural constraints and their position within the cooperative. Gender dynamics within labor also shifted over time. As older female members became less able to perform physically demanding tasks such as rafting, male relatives increasingly assumed these responsibilities. Rather than indicating the displacement of women, this reflects an adaptive redistribution of labor within households and the cooperative itself. At the same time, the study identifies emerging intergenerational challenges in sustaining the livelihood. Although ecotourism enabled women to finance their children{u2019}s education, many younger family members aspire toward more stable and formal employment outside the community, creating uncertainties regarding the long-term continuity of the tourism initiative. Overall, the study argues that women{u2019}s empowerment in community-based ecotourism is a dynamic and negotiated process shaped by structural conditions, cooperative hierarchies, generational transitions, and evolving gender relations. By examining both opportunities and limitations within women-led ecotourism livelihoods, the study contributes to broader discussions on gender, community-based tourism, and conditional pathways to empowerment in the Philippine context.