Local Flavor, Regional Impact: The Participation of Women in the Rural Tourism Restaurant Industry

The objective of this work is to analyze the characteristics of women participating in the tourism restaurant activities in the rural areas of Durango, Mexico. Restaurant workers were analyzed for the year 2022. This is a quantitative, non-experimental, and cross-sectional study. The main findings show that 67% of the surveyed workers are women, with an average age of 30 years, incomplete high school education, and an average human capital index (HCI) of 10.27. In terms of gender distribution across municipalities, it was observed that 78% of workers in Pueblo Nuevo are women; 63.3% in Nombre de Dios; 57.1% in Peñón Blanco; and 60.6% in Mapimí. This research reflects that the gender gap related to the Human Capital Index (HCI) increases by 18% in rural areas, while in urban areas the gap is minimal.