Understanding women’s participation in Northeastern oyster aquaculture

The increasing participation of women aquaculture producers brings diverse perspectives and innovative solutions to the industry in the Northeastern United States. However, without baseline demographic data of the workforce, we lack comprehensive understanding of resource management, distribution of benefits, and equitable access to the seafood system. A mixed methods approach including a survey and the participatory research method, photovoice, was implemented to characterize demographics and understand gender dynamics of the Maine and New Hampshire oyster aquaculture industry. A gender analysis was conducted to investigate how women access resources and navigate barriers to participation as oyster producers. The food systems concept was used to investigate a gender division of labor in the oyster aquaculture industry. Results indicate that established gender norms create systemic barriers for women-owned oyster businesses including gender discrimination and insufficient access to funding, targeted training, and farm equipment. Women leveraged female-led social networks to learn about growing methods that addressed affordability, occupational safety, and production efficiency on their farms. To maintain autonomy over decision making and avoid gendered outcomes, women participate in all activities of the food system, from oyster production to market sales, indicating no gender division of labor. This paper argues that women oyster farmers experience gender-specific obstacles due to cultural norms of the maritime industry that have traditionally supported only men. More work is required to build data informed policy mechanisms and institutional support systems that ensure equitable participation.