Sustainability and Connection to Place: Land Stewardship through Local Icelandic Women-Run Businesses

• Main Author: DeHarpporte, Hazel
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: SIT Digital Collections 2022
• Subjects: Business Administration; Management; and Operations; Civic and Community Engagement; Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations; Place and Environment; Sustainability; Women's Studies; Djúpivogur; Ísafjörður; Iceland
• Online Access: https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/3520; https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4544&context=isp_collection

Iceland is one of the leading countries in gender equality, but women are still underrepresented in the field of entrepreneurship. Women have unique approaches to land stewardship, and there is evidence that they are more likely than men to act sustainably. The purpose of this study is to explore the correlation between sustainability and connection to place in women-run, local businesses. I interviewed six women who run a wide range of businesses in the towns of Ísafjörður and Djúpivogur. From these interviews, I found that while the women did not necessarily think that running a business was more difficult as a woman, they felt they had a different experience than a man would in the same field. The six women also had connections to the place they live, and all were taking actions to prioritize sustainability in their work. They focused on place-based experiences and connection to local communities, and many had unique views on land ownership. These women demonstrate the importance of connection to place in sustainability and local businesses and ask us to challenge our own individual land ethic and views on stewardship.