International Women’s Day has a long history as an occasion to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. Across the globe, March 8th is a date to assert our commitment and challenge gender bias and inequality. It’s an opportunity to reflect on the road ahead and collectively take strategic action for women’s empowerment.
At WorldFish, challenging gender bias and championing the role of women is embedded in values, and is central to advancing our research and innovation for healthy people and planet. One in every two workers in aquatic food systems are women. Some of these women work directly in fisheries and aquaculture production, while the majority work in the processing, sale, and trade of aquatic foods and products. Women are crucial to aquatic food systems, providing labor, innovative ideas, and entrepreneurship. Their contributions are critical to food and nutrition security, gender equality, and multiple Sustainable Development Goals.
This year in particular, we recognize the remarkable efforts by women and girls working to shape a more equitable future and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Women stand at the front lines of the crisis and often were and continue to be the first and hardest hit by disruptions to aquatic food value chains, threatening progress on women’s equality, poverty alleviation, as well as their nutrition and health.
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