Democratization of the Sea with a Gender Perspective.The Professionalization Process of Women Shellfish Gatherers in Galicia

Abstract

Professionalization process of women shellfish gatherers in Galicia is an example of governance with a gender perspective. This initiative is defined by women participation at all stages of the policy, horizontal relationships between them and expert and political teams, and a positive impact in the inequality of female situation. In this regard, work and experiences of these workers are located in fisheries communities, where the sex-gender system logics are reproduced. These societies are constructed on the basis of sea and land pair, that embody the hierarchical dualities of publicprivate space and production-reproduction. However, their participation in the professionalization policy, promoted by Galician government in the nineties, causes some changes in material and social issues, in addition to individual and collective empowerment. The methodology of this article is based on a compilation of reports, press analysis and in-depth interviews to technicians and workers. This information is used to reconstruct this process and to examine how a gender perspective impacts results, design, management and organization of this participation process. Thus, this governance experience democratizes fisheries structures in inclusiveness terms. However, this experience is not transformative because it does not challenge androcentric rules of such communities.