Hindered, Overlooked, and Undervalued: Gender Equality in Nordic Blue Economies

Josefin Ekstedt, Kristina Svels, Magnus Boström, Madeleine Gustavsson, Kristen Ounanian, Katrina Rønningen, Milena Arias Schreiber, Sunniva Midthaug Solnør and Cecilia Österman
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Josefin Ekstedt: Centre for Blue Governance, Aalborg University, Denmark
Kristina Svels: Natural Resources Institute, Finland
Magnus Boström: Linnaeus University
Madeleine Gustavsson: Institute for Rural and Regional Research, Norway
Kristen Ounanian: Centre for Blue Governance, Aalborg University, Denmark
Katrina Rønningen: Institute for Rural and Regional Research, Norway
Milena Arias Schreiber: School of Global Studies, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Sunniva Midthaug Solnør: Institute for Rural and Regional Research, Norway
Cecilia Österman: Kalmar Maritime Academy, Linnaeus University, Sweden

Ocean and Society, 2025, vol. 2

Abstract: The Nordic countries are ranked among the most gender equal countries worldwide. Equality, political, and civil rights, leading to the high participation of women in the workforce, have paved the way for this egalitarian view. However, women remain the minority in managerial positions in general, and they are also strongly underrepresented in many male‐dominated sectors of the blue economy. The aim of this article is to introduce and discuss gender equality in the blue economy, and to assess the status of gender research in the Nordic context. To achieve this, a purposive interdisciplinary literature review resulted in three encompassing themes on how women’s participation is hindered, overlooked, and undervalued. Using these themes as an analytical lens, we propose that the underlying mechanisms are similar within fisheries, aquaculture, and maritime transportation in how they affect women’s participation. Still, there is a lack of statistics and research within parts of the blue sector. To move forward, there needs to be a shift in focus from policy to practice. One starting point could be to implement current knowledge, e.g., regarding workplace design and tailoring equipment to fit a diverse workforce. We call for scaling up best practices and evaluating policy performance and effectiveness. These are prerequisites for sustainable recruitment and retention of the blue sector workforce and the only way forward for countries aspiring to be truly gender equal.

Keywords: blue economy; fisheries; gender equality; labor market; male‐dominated; SDG 5; seafarer; social sustainability; women’s participation; workforce (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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