Ocean Women: Promoting gender equity in recreational ocean access for wider ocean stewardship

Marine Conservation Research Group
Ocean Women project drone photo from the Maldives
Title: Ocean Women: Promoting gender equity in recreational ocean access for wider ocean stewardship
Funded by: The Coles-Medlock Foundation; COMO Foundation; Enjoolata Foundation; The Manta Trust
Dates: April 2022 – March 2026
Partners: The Manta Trust; Salted Ventures Swimmers; University of West Papua
 
 
 
 
 
Vast gender inequalities restrict women and girls' access to coastal and ocean spaces. Worldwide, 68% of women cannot swim, compared to 43% of men. In the island nation of the Maldives, some women and girls are five times more likely than males to be unable to swim, and 10 times more likely to have never snorkelled or experienced local marine life.
In many coastal communities, women are important stewards of highly biodiverse yet vulnerable environments that people rely on for food, coastal protection, livelihoods and culture. Being able to swim is imperative for enabling access to the dominant environment and a core recreational, educational and economic space. Marine experiences are key for developing local environmental leadership and marine citizenship; personal, emotional connections to places can impact pro-environmental behaviours.
Marine citizenship and stewardship are important for sustainable development.
This project incorporates PhD research led by Flossy Barraud at the University of Plymouth and the wider Ocean Women project led by Flossy and Aminath Zoona, in partnership with Manta Trust and Salted Ventures Swimmers in the Maldives.
The PhD research draws from a survey of 700 Maldivian people and interviews and consultations with 210 Maldivian people, as well as 15 local experts from West Papua, São Tomé and Príncipe, St. Lucia, Mozambique, Papua New Guinea, and a Māori community in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Findings were used to develop a programme of change under the Ocean Women project – training Maldivian women as swim and snorkel instructors and supporting them to develop businesses that positively impact their islands. Wider knowledge will be shared in an Ocean Connection Strategy, equipping communities with tools to develop local ocean connection programmes, expanding global ocean stewardship.

Aims of the project

  • Gain an in-depth understanding of gender inequality in recreational ocean access by learning from women in tropical coastal communities and from initiatives already underway that improve women and girls' access to ocean recreation.
  • Understand key barriers to recreational ocean access, mediators that enable women and girls to overcome barriers in different contexts, and social, economic and environmental impacts of improving access.
  • Collaboratively develop programmes to improve ocean access for women and girls.
  • Create and widely share an Ocean Connection Strategy which outlines common barriers, mediators, impacts and learnings, and ultimately helps communities and organisations working worldwide to identify, trial and implement solutions that could work for their localities, upscaling ocean access initiatives worldwide.
Ocean Women swim and snorkel instructor course Maldives

  • Aminath Zoona, Salted Ventures Swimmers

  • The Ocean Women project in the Maldives

  • Dr Guy Stevens, Manta Trust

Marine Social Science Research Unit

We co-create and deliver robust social science research in partnership with statutory nature conservation agencies, sea users, NGOs, government departments and international organisations
Supporting the sustainable and fair use of marine ecosystems through social science research methodologies that directly inform marine environment governance at international, regional, national and local scales.
Cornwall beach at sunset with surfers