Gender issues have always been a concern around the world. Judging from the existing research on power-related gender roles in romantic relations of Chinese families, power is still unequally distributed between men and women (Glick & Fiske, 1996). At the family level, different gender roles lead to different power distribution within the family. However, most extant research is based on daily married life, work, and consumption, and there is a need for more research in tourism regarding this issue. Therefore, this study aims to understand how gender role attitudes and gender power affect tourism-related decision-making among Chinese couples.

The study adopted a sequential exploratory mixed methods design with a quantitative focus. Regarding sample selection, a total of 24 couples were selected for qualitative data collection. The second stage was the quantitative analysis, where data were collected through an online survey with 418 respondents (196 females and 222 males) in China. Correlation tests, t-tests, and ANOVA were used to determine statistical relationships between gender role attitudes, perceived gender power, travel decision-making, and the corresponding gender differences. The data were then analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM) based on the established theoretical framework using partial least squares (PLS) estimation.

The study confirms that joint decision-making in couples’ travelling decisions has become a trend among young adults. The more equal the gender role attitudes, the more equal the power couples have to make travel decisions, resulting in more joint travel decisions. Similarly, the more equal the overall gender power distribution, the more equal the power of the couple to make travel decisions, leading to more joint travel decisions. In addition, the moderating effect of gender shows that men’s gender role attitudes have a higher impact on travel decision-making power than women's. In comparison, women’s gender power has a more substantial impact on travel decision-making power. Finally, on the theoretical aspect, this research fills the gap in the social perspective of couples’ tourism decision-making regarding gender equality, and the proposed model can also provide a reference for further in-depth research. For practical implications, the joint decision-making shown in the research results is a trend in young Chinese couples’ travelling, which can suggest ways of developing and promoting tourism products, e.g., gender-neutral advertising strategies are more accepted by consumers.