Millions of women in the fisheries industry are being left behind as new technologies emerge to address climate change and economic pressures, according to a new study by the University of East Anglia (UEA).
The research, entitled ‘A Systematic Review of the Impact of Post-Harvest Aquatic Food Processing Technology on Gender Equality and Social Justice’, looked at the post-harvest fisheries and aquaculture sector, where women make up 50% of the workforce.
Despite their significant contributions, women often remain invisible, underpaid or unpaid, with their labour often perceived as an extension of household work.
Prof Nitya Rao, UEA professor of gender & development and director of the Norwich Institute for Sustainable Development, is the lead author. “Given the large number of people, in particular women, engaged in post-harvest activities globally, this review sought to better understand how processing technology and technical change have impacted those engaged in this sector, and how labour, resources, power and decision making are influenced and change in this process,” she said.
The study, published in Nature Food, makes several recommendations for policy, research and practice:
- The focus of fisheries’ policymaking needs to embrace the entire aquatic food system, from fisheries and aquaculture to processing, storage and consumption.
- More research is needed to examine the impacts of a range of technologies on different groups of people including women and men, young and elderly, migrant and non-migrant.
- Diverse voices, especially women’s and migrant worker voices, should have a place in policymaking and investment decisions.
The research draws from 42 studies across 55 locations worldwide, shedding light on the global nature of this issue.
