Is sharing tourism experiences considered unmanly? Tourism experience sharing-feminine stereotype and its effect on word-of-mouth generation

Is word-of-mouth about tourism experiences gendered? If so, why? Through five online studies measuring actual word-of-mouth and one large-scale secondary data analysis (n = 292,948), this research finds that male tourists are less likely to share tourism experiences on social media than females. Building on social identity theory and prior evidence that men are often more motivated than women to behave in gender-congruent ways, research findings reveal that this gender gap stems from a feminine stereotype associated with tourism experience sharing, which men avoid to maintain their gender identity. As a marketing intervention, this work also shows that agency-signaling appeals effectively increase the likelihood of male tourists sharing tourism experiences. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.