11 Feb #11F 2023 | International Day of Women and Girls in Science

One of the key aspects of the EqualSea Lab lines of research is equity. Coastal communities and the fishing industry around the world face significant challenges when it comes to gender equality.

Our team is working, or has worked, on projects that contribute to understanding these challenges in depth and, in this way, improve the situation of women from different perspectives.

On the ocassion of February 11th, International Day of Women and Girls in Science, our colleagues Katina Roumbedakis, Milena Arias-Schreiber and Abigail Ferreira tell you more about their work:

Katina: “The project ‘Equalsea – Transformative adaptation towards ocean equity’ will evaluate the inequalities in the use and distribution of marine resources benefits in different fishing communities across Brazil, Africa and Europe, with special attention to the most vulnerable groups, including women”.

Katina is also involved in the project ‘Value chain assessment of the octopus fishery in Kenya’. One of the tasks is to identify the current roles, challenges and opportunities of women in the whole value chain of the octopus fishery.

Abigail: “My PhD project is directly linked with the AtlantECO and EqualSea projects. The main aim is to evaluate the vulnerability, equity and resilience of small-scale fisheries value chains in Cabo Verde, in which caboverdian women play a very important role.”

Milena: “My work as an environmental social scientist with a focus on fisheries and the sustainability of marine resources includes research on women and their situation in the fisheries sector. I have contributed to register and publish on the role of women as innovators and as important actors for the resilience of fishing communities, and more recently, I am a member of a research network with the aim to investigate how the Blue Economy will benefit (or not) to gender equality in Nordic Countries.”