Category Archives: England

Northern Ireland Women in Fisheries. Photo: Easkey Britton 2011

Two papers published recently (see below) in Marine Policy journal examine in depth gendered roles in the fishing communities of Northern Ireland and northern England, respectively.

In the Northern Island case, Easkey Britton and Sarah Coulthard used a three-dimensional framework to measuring social progress (material, relational and cognitive dimensions) and conclude that “fishing society is a gendered one where the burdens of coping can fall disproportionately on women, and much can be learned from women’s active responses to improve wellbeing for themselves and their families.”

The second paper by Minghua Zhao, Marilyn Tyzack, Rodney Anderson, and Estera Onoakpovike on women in fishing communities in northern England recommended, on the basis of detailed analysis of roles of women and men, that: “capitalising on the genuine interest in the sustainability of the industry and hence their families and their livelihoods would seem to be the most effective way of increasing women’s awareness, involvement and participation.”

[Both papers require institutional access to the journal].

1.      Assessing the social wellbeing of Northern Ireland’s fishing society using a three-dimensional approach

Easkey Britton^{, (}http://www.easkeybritton.com/, easkey.britton@wellcoast.org, @Easkysurf) and Sarah Coulthard

Download at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X12000747

Abstract: The concept of ‘wellbeing’ has received growing interest in policy domains in the UK, and inter- nationally, as a multi-dimensional approach to understanding and measuring social progress and development. Policy makers and scientists alike are debating the potential of wellbeing to deliver a people-centred, and holistic, analysis of what matters to people in terms of the quality of life people pursue and are able to achieve. There is also growing interest in how the concept of wellbeing might be applied to fisheries, especially in terms of deepening assessment of the ways in which decline in the fisheries sector is affecting fishing-dependent families, and the wider community. This paper applies a three-dimensional wellbeing framework and methodology to gain insight into the wellbeing of fishing society in Northern Ireland, a region that has faced substantial decline in its fisheries over the past 100 years. A three-dimensional approach considers material, relational and cognitive dimensions; putting resources, relationships and subjective reflections on life satisfaction together as a whole assessment. All three dimensions are important for a full assessment of wellbeing. Following an overview of the methodology used and data collected, the paper then assesses the extent to which a three-dimensional well-being approach can provide useful insights for sustainable fisheries policy in Northern Ireland.

See also:

NIWIF logo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/23265903@N03/2391565567/

AKTEA: http://fishwomen.org/

Wellcoast.org: www.wellcoast.org

2. Women as visible and invisible workers in fisheries: A case study of Northern England

Minghua Zhao (m.zhao@gre.ac.uk), Marilyn Tyzack, Rodney Anderson, Estera Onoakpovike

Download at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X12000747

Abstract: This paper is based on an externally-funded research project on women’s roles and contributions in fisheries conducted in Northern England in 2010. The research focuses on the key roles played by the women involved in fisheries in this region of the country, aiming to help promote the equality and participation of women in the industry by contributing to policy making with independent evidences. The paper analyses some of the major roles played by women and their contribution in four selected sectors: capture fishing, families and communities, trading, processing and management/administration. It identifies the main issues and barriers which prevent women from equal treatment and full participation in the industry and from a more effective involvement in policy making in the country. The paper also presents and analyses women’s strong wish for change with suggestions for policy reform.