Un-gendering the ocean: Why women matter in ocean governance for sustainability

Abstract

This viewpoint emphasizes gendered perspectives and reflects on gender roles for sustainabilityfocused governance. It argues that when considering gender in this context, not only equity, or power-plays between genders are at stake; for effective ocean governance, an irreducible contribution of female voices is necessary. Some key contributions of women in the field of ocean governance-related research are described as examples. If women, for instance, are not included in fisheries management, we miss the complete picture of social-ecological linkages of marine ecosystems. Overall, women are often regarded as major actors driving sustainable development because of their inclusiveness and collaborative roles. Similarly, women have advocated for the common good in marine conservation, raising important (and often neglected) concerns. In maritime industries, women enlarge the talent pool for innovation and smart growth. Besides the manifold possibilities for promoting the involvement of women in ocean governance and policymaking, this viewpoint highlights how gendered biases still influence our interactions with the ocean. It is necessary to reduce the structural, and systemically-embedded hurdles that continue to lead to gendered decision-taking with regard to the ocean. This is the accepted manuscript of a paper originally published in Marine Policy. You may find the final, formatted version at 10.1016/j.marpol.2018.05.020. Keywords: ocean governance; sustainable development goals; environmental conservation; fishery management; maritime industry; natural resources; inclusiveness; decision-making; gendered perspective Highlights 1. The viewpoint reflects on women's contribution to a sustainable ocean governance 2. Gendered biases still influence our interaction with the ocean 3. Some key contributions of women in ocean governance-related research are described 4. Examples on fishery, ocean conservation, sustainability, maritime industry included 5. Ocean governance needs acknowledging women's role for its effectiveness 2 IntroductionIn the human realm, just as in the animal world, the sea is a suitable backdrop for the unwinding of the dramas played out between different genders. only equity, or power-play between genders -as is often argued in the field of gender studies (see [9]) -but the effective achievement of sustainability through ocean governance. This viewpoint proposes addressing these issues through the lens of the multiple, and often overlooked contributions of women, and thus encourages strong involvement of females in the field and especially those with varied socio-cultural backgrounds.The important role that women may bring to ocean governance efforts can be highlighted by reviewing some of their contributions from within a range of social, cultural and historical contexts.By discussing and exemplifying some contributions of selected female colleagues in balancing development and marine conservation through research, this paper reiterates important contributions women make to the field of ...