Fisherwomen: Gender Subordination and Empowerment

Abstract

Since the last decade, studies on the fishing sector from a gender perspective have been growing, perceiving the ways gender constructions influence on how women and men work and face the risks linked to the recent changes that have been affecting the fishing activity. However, the related policies remain gender blind. This article discusses two main arguments. First, the silence about the women roles and places in fishing correlates to the vulnerability of many coastal communities in northern and southern countries. Second, fisherwomen movements have contributed to disrupt the status quo and to provide them access to empowerment policies, notably in relation to spaces and social rights. At the same time, their social movements aim to foster the local communities’ capacities to manage their common resources, to adapt to social and environmental complexities and to promote gender equity. Empowerment process is complex and contradictory.