4 March 2025
“Our women are underrepresented in many categories of ocean science, technology, development and ocean observation,” according to Dr Katy Soapi, the Coordinator for Partnership and Engagement at the Pacific Community Centre for Ocean Science (PCCOS).
“If we want innovation, we need diversity and new ideas, and that’s why we need women in this space,” Dr Soapi said, adding how ocean science is a field in which Pacific Islanders are already poorly represented, and this gap hampers innovation.
“Gender equality is key to achieving sustainable development – diversity breeds innovation.”
Dr Soapi is an advocate for gender equality and for women and men to have equal opportunities and representation in her area of work. As the first woman from Solomon Islands to earn a PhD in Natural Sciences, she has experienced and witnessed the challenges women face in ocean science.
“As Pacific Islanders, we are custodians and stewards of the world’s largest ocean. It is our greatest asset as we are a region that is 98% ocean, yet according to the 2020 Global Ocean Science Report, we have some of the lowest capacities in ocean science, be it men or women.”
Dr Soapi shared these remarks at PCCOS’ Early Career Oceans Professionals programme during the Integrated Ocean Management (IOM) Regional Workshop and 2nd Steering Committee Meeting for Pacific Solutions. The event was held in late 2024, aligning with the 30th anniversary of the Pacific Platform for Action on Gender Equality and Women’s Human Rights (PPA) and just before next month’s UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69).
Improving gender equality across all sectors, such as ocean science, and across all levels of society is central to the goals of the Pacific Platform for Action (PPA endorsed in 1994 and since updated). After 30 years, the PPA still guides the Pacific’s reporting on progress to achieve gender equality commitments, including at the Triennial Conference of Pacific Women and next month’s CSW69 and its global review of the Beijing Platform for Action (BPA, 1995) – the BPA turns 30 this year.
In preparing for CSW69 and reviewing the Pacific’s progress towards achieving the objectives of the Beijing Platform for Action (BPA), it is also timely to look at the challenges that women continue to face, particularly in the ocean and science sector.
Women have a vital role in ocean-related activities, including fishing, sailing, swimming, diving, conservation, scientific research, and many other science-related activities connected to the world’s oceans. However, they are commonly still not recognised as equal partners at the decision-making table or consulted for their insights and guidance in shaping the future of oceans.
“The traditional roles of women that set boundaries on where and what women can or cannot do or be is a big barrier for women,” Dr Soapi explained.
“For example, in the fisheries sector, women are often associated with coastal fisheries and the spaces beyond coastal fisheries are often regarded as men’s spaces.”
Gender equality and preserving the Pacific Ocean are key to achieving regional and international development goals, such as the Revitalised Pacific Leaders Gender Equality Declaration, 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The question is, how do we change mindsets and ensure that women are given a fair chance?
“When women are empowered, everyone benefits,” Dr Soapi shared.
“We need frameworks that seek and apply innovative ways to ensure equal participation and ensure the systems we develop and co-design recognise the challenges that women face both at work and at home,” according to Dr Soapi.
“Having targeted interventions – such as scholarships, mentoring programmes, building networks of women, and addressing institutional and cultural barriers will also help advance women’s leadership in these sectors, at different levels and scales,” she said.
The UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, which is halfway through, calls for full and equal access to and participation in ocean science for women and girls to address the decline in oceans’ health due to the impacts of multiple stresses, such as acidification and coral bleaching.
“We urgently need adaptation strategies and science-informed policy responses to address these changes. We need everyone on board, including women, to find innovative and transformative solutions for this environmental crisis,” Dr Soapi said.
“In that spirit, let’s identify and dismantle barriers to achieving gender equality and balance to ensure that no one is left behind.”
To ensure a healthy ocean for the future, diverse ideas and actions from both women and men are crucial for shaping future strategies and empowering women for ocean protection.
Read more about the:
- Pacific Platform for Action (PPA) and its links to regional commitments and partners
- The Pacific, its PPA and the BPA at CSW69, March 2025 [webpage under construction]