Abstract
Fishing resources, as well as fishing activities and policies, are in a state of permanent change, therefore transforming the living and working conditions of coastal and fishing populations. The gender perspective is relevant to understand the challenges faced by men and women in the fishing sector. Galicia (Spain) is one of the main fishing regions in the EU and with the largest number of women working in the fishing sector, especially in shellfishing on foot. Shellfishing on foot, an artisanal and traditional activity for the cultivation and extraction of mainly bivalve molluscs, represents 7% of gross value added (GVA) and 17% of the employment of the Galician fishing sector as a whole. Since the 1960s, a process of regulation and modernization of shellfishing on foot—more than 95% of which is carried out by women—has led to a sharp decrease in the number of shellfish gatherers. The regulatory processes and the professionalization of the sector have resulted in a strong decline in female employment, but, at the same time, women feel empowered and regard their jobs as dignified work. Our objective—through the analysis of the local permits granted to carry out this activity—focuses on the study of the consolidation of this process and has tried to highlight the ways in which patriarchy perpetuates the hegemonic position of men evidenced, for example, by a progressive masculinization of this activity with increasing economic profitability and social prestige.
Highlights
Fisheries and fisheries-related activities still play a crucial role in the economy and employment of some European countries and regions
The regional management of funds associated with the Common Fisheries Policy allowed for a large part of them to be invested in the management of the Galician fishing sector, and in the professionalization of women shellfish workers, mainly through training courses and the introduction of cultivation techniques for a more rational exploitation of resources
Loss of some shellfisherwomen on foot. This process has meant that a large number of women who had been carrying out this activity in a traditional way, and who were not prepared to face the challenge of professionalization, abandoned shellfishing on foot
Summary
Fisheries and fisheries-related activities still play a crucial role in the economy and employment of some European countries and regions. In the case of Galicia, there is a large amount of literature on the importance of women’s work in fishing and their traditional leading role in activities related to shellfishing or the canning industry (Marugán Pintos 2004, 2010, 2012, Martínez 2016, Broullón Acuña 2011).
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