The essential role of women in fisheries | Women’s cooperative ‘Belyounesh Wave’

This year’s International Women’s Day (IWD) falls at a time where women across the globe are being disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The fisheries and aquaculture sectors have been particularly affected by the crisis. Although the data are limited, a significant amount of the workforce in these sectors is comprised of women. Most women carry out non-vessel based activities, including gleaning, processing and marketing, but the number of women in leadership positions is low.
Women are often underrepresented in official statistics, potentially undermining their access to social protection programmes or resulting in their marginalization in decision-making processes (SOMFI 2020). However, local initiatives, such as the women's cooperative in Morocco, are bringing to light the essential role of women and equipping them with the tools they need for success.
The COVID-19 pandemic has shed light on the important contribution of women in fisheries and aquaculture”, says Abdellah Srour, GFCM Executive Secretary. “Let us use IWD as an opportunity to celebrate the role of women while identifying the much-needed work to be done to work towards gender equality.