Understanding women’s roles, experiences and barriers to participation in ocean science education in Kenya: recommendations for better gender equality policy

Abstract

Gender equality is critical to achieving transformative action, policies and change towards sustainable ocean management. However, historically women have been largely excluded from ocean science and management programmes, including education. Recent commitment to promoting gender equality in ocean science, notably in the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, aims to ensure women have equal opportunity to engage in ocean science education, research, management and decision-making. This paper investigates the roles of women in ocean science education, the challenges they face, the root causes of these inequalities, and the existing interventions to advance gender equality in ocean science. Focusing on Kenya as a case study, the paper uses a feminist political ecology lens to explore staff experiences and perceptions of gender (in)equality in public universities. The data gathered through in-depth interviews revealed that women's participation in ocean science were limited by perceptions of their male colleagues who did not believe that women can do certain technical jobs. In addition, career progression of women was found to be slower than men's, women were more likely to be discriminated against during promotions and denied opportunities to develop their careers, faced sexual harassment and bullying, and experienced work-family conflicts. These factors adversely impacted women's participation and career advancement and thus their potential contribution to a sustainable ocean. This research also revealed some good practices that the universities had in place to tackle gender inequalities such as gender equality policies and staff given a specific gender equality role (gender focal points). In conclusion, we stress the importance of having gender-transformative policies, an effective implementation process, having women-specific support structures and having women in leadership positions as crucial for promoting gender equality and ocean sustainability.