Introduction
The Meet a Blue Expert episode #10 took place in-person during EMD 2024 in Svendborg, Denmark on 30-31 May. This episode explored the topic of inclusivity, gender equality and women’s empowerment in blue economy sectors through the personal and professional experiences of our experts. They shared stories of success, while also pointing out the challenges we face in achieving gender equality in marine and maritime sectors. They also highlighted the important role of new generations of ocean professionals in leading this change.
About the Experts
Alice Pari is the co-founder and PR manager at Mariscadoras, a benefit corporation and innovative startup addressing environmental and gender equity challenges in the Mediterranean fishing industry. Alice has led Mariscadoras since its founding in 2021 alongside four other female leaders. The startup's first initiative, the Blueat Project, tackles the issue of invasive alien species in the Mediterranean by collaborating with local fishing cooperatives and establishing a sustainable supply chain for the blue crab (Callinectes sapidus). This invasive species, which arrived in the Mediterranean via ballast water, has caused significant biodiversity loss and economic challenges, particularly impacting small-scale and artisanal fishing communities.
Helena Vieira works as Coordinator Researcher & ERA CHAIR Holder at University of Aveiro/CESAM (Centre for Environment and Marine Studies). She coordinates the WIN-BIG: Women in Blue Economy Intelligence Gathering and Capacity Boosting project. WIN-BIG is aimed at mapping the current gender status and capacity gaps across sea basins and blue sectors, while also developing capacity-building tools to support the achievement of a more gender-balanced and sustainable blue industry in Europe. Throughout its activities, WIN-BIG fosters exchanges and best practices across all 6 European sea basins and promotes female role models through a series of testimonials of women in the BuE sectors, to inspire young women and girls to become involved in the blue economy.
Interview with the Experts
The questions asked to Alice and Helena were submitted by members of the Youth4Ocean Forum. Want to get involved? Become a member here.
Which strategies are the most effective in achieving gender balance and encouraging more young women to enter the blue economy, particularly in fields of work where they may be underrepresented?
Alice:
A central aspect of our mission is promoting gender equality in the fishing sector, a field traditionally dominated by men. Inspired by the mariscadoras, the Galician women who work in clam fishing and have made significant strides toward gender equality, my team and I are working towards the launch of a project in partnership with FUNDAMAR to connect and empower women in the blue economy across Italy, Spain, and Greece. Through MARISCADORAS, we plan to collaborate with local fishing cooperatives to champion sustainable fishing practices, community resilience, and female empowerment in the Mediterranean.
Helena:
We do not really know how much gender unbalance and in which sectors of Blue Economy have it in EU. Bringing back my policy experience and even business experience, you cannot manage what you don't know. So, data is crucial here, and politicians really need data to support their decisions. For instance, it's very different to say “we have a gender imbalance in the blue economy” relying only on data from Portugal or France, from being able to say that we have gender imbalance all over Europe because you have data from 27 countries showing that one gender is underrepresented. By providing this data, WIN-BIG is really contributing to this crucial aspect.
The point is that we know there is gender imbalance, but we don't know how unbalanced it is. And then you might also realise from the data that we might have gender imbalance in, say, shipping or maritime transport, which is very well known, but it can be different, let’s say, in ocean sciences R&D or Blue Biotech, for example. In fact current data shows that there are only 2% of female seafarers today. But you might actually have a rather good balance in the area of blue biotech, or in marine renewable energies, for example, which are emerging sectors, and this is what we are investigating. So, what can we learn from these sectors that we can bring on board to the other unbalanced sectors? This is why this data is really important for policy-making.
And the other aspect is related to social fairness: not leaving anyone behind is a big motto for European policy. And anyone means anyone of any gender and any religion, any racial status, going beyond just the gender. So, politicians need data, they need people who bring their attention to these relevant aspects, and you need to convey the message in a way that it's aligned with policy, which is quite different from politics. Politics is for getting votes, policy is to create strategies. So, sometimes you need strategies, but you also need to speak politics - this is where scientifically backed data comes in.
Coming from a background in anthropology and technology, how did you get involved in ocean conservation and the blue economy? And how can those with a background in humanities and social sciences contribute to this field?
Alice:
I grew up in Rimini, a coastal city on the Adriatic sea, so I’ve always had a strong connection to the sea. I’ve worked with the Cetacea Foundation for 10 years on marine conservation projects. I believe a multidisciplinary approach is essential. I work with biologists, and in MARISCADORAS, we have diverse skills. Understanding complex issues requires different perspectives. Humanities provide insights into human needs, which are crucial for aligning environmental goals with societal needs. I hope to see more multidisciplinary collaboration in environmental conservation projects, with young people who have social science and humanities skills involving themselves more and more in conservation projects.
Do you see a role for ocean literacy initiatives to support the mission of bringing gender equality in the blue economy?
Helena:
I am a big fan of ocean literacy. I have been engaged in the original blue school program of Portugal that then led to the creation of the European Blue Schools and International Blue Schools: I think it's from a little age that you start cultivating several of these relevant aspects.
Ocean literacy can support a more balanced Blue Economy sector in the future by communicating to young girls and boys inspirational stories of women, who are leaders in their ocean roles. WIN-BIG is building up a Women in Blue Economy testimonial book - the WIN-BIG Women book. We are collecting stories of Blue women champions all over Europe, with inspiring stories in traditional and emerging, more techy, sectors, so that we can collect them all together and provide this book to civil society and schools. We have planned some pop-up exhibitions as well, and we want to bring schools to these exhibitions and to our events so that young girls, and boys, can feel inspired by these stories.
We are also building Women focused retreats. Our first event will be in March 2025 in Venice, Italy. And there will be the first women retreat: we are considering bringing young girls to meet the older women and they can do a matchmaking game where they can ask questions and get inspired by these waves of female entrepreneurial stories. I believe that by creating this positive atmosphere around blue careers, showing new routes in careers related to ocean and new formats of being in the ocean, you can actually bring young girls to believe that maybe they can also consider doing that.
What can be the role and added value of young generations in achieving equality goals in the blue sector? Did you experience any challenges as a young professional in this sector?
Alice:
Young women are much more aware of their value and know they have the same skills as their male colleagues. At the same time, Europe is calling for equality for women and girls through the 2030 Agenda and the Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025. In my country, Italy, there is still no equal pay and it is still very difficult for women to obtain leadership positions: especially in the fishing sector. For example, the majority of women are employed in selling products in their family’s business, but their contributions are often unrecognised by most fishing cooperatives, which oppose their involvement in the sector. My opinion is that women should help each other by creating opportunities for other women, especially in terms of work-related training and education on their rights.
And yes, during our project there have been challenges, especially initially with the fishermen. When we first approached them at the port, the reaction was often, “You’re young, you’re women, what are you doing here?”. But after three years, we gained their trust - especially since we were paying them, which helped us become a resource for them. Now, it’s easier, and we have even identified allies within the sector. Unfortunately, it’s still difficult for women to enter fishing cooperatives and have equal rights.
Helena:
We really need to bring this new generation to the ocean, I dream of young girls and boys aspiring to be aquanauts. I think the young generation needs to look at this new and sustainable blue economy without a gender role perspective. I believe you should be able to do whatever you want independent of your gender. This is where youth comes in.
Young people are already breaking out of the traditional schemes of society, they are already doing that in many different areas of society anyway, as in their beliefs systems (what is right and what is wrong), their approach to a more balanced life-work framework, their aspirations to a more sustainable future, questioning old dogmas! So, you just need to bring that perspective into the blue economy today, further diluting gender barriers and creating more holistic and inclusive sectors. Social ladders are already being broken by the young generation, and I think this is relevant for the blue economy as well.
Finally, as a left to think note - It is proven that when you have women on decision boards, they bring more equilibrium, better organisations, and also more money - OECD studies prove that it's a win-win process. Furthermore, not attracting, or keeping, women on these vital sectors, it’s a poisoned move as you are, in fact, loosing half of the available workforce today and in the future, as women represent nearly 50% of the current world population.
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