Women as vectors of social entrepreneurship

•We examine the role of women as vectors of social entrepreneurship in tourism.•Transformation of the self and others defines women social entrepreneurship.•Serving communities in need is a key goal of women as social entrepreneurs.•Institutional and local contexts shape women’s participation in entrepreneurship.•Women as social entrepreneurs manifest social bricolage and constructionist traits.

Drawing on the literature examining women in the tourism sector and social entrepreneurship, this article critically explores a theoretical framework for analyzing the role of women owner-managers of small tourism firms (STFs) as social entrepreneurs. Through a qualitative analysis of owner-managers of STFs, the article provides evidence of how women integrate social transformational and commercial goals in their business strategies, while serving defined communities around the tourism sector. By critically examining the operationalization of these goals and community needs, the development impacts of women-owned STFs and opportunities for women social entrepreneurship in the tourism sector are identified and discussed.