Making Women Visible in Scotland’s Fisheries: Storytelling, Digital Analysis, and Pathways to Change
In Scotland, women have historically played vital roles in fisheries-dependent communities—from the iconic “herring girls” of the 19th century (Mackenzie, 2014) to contemporary contributions in processing, logistics, and community enterprise. Today, however, women’s participation remains under-recognised in both academic research and blue economy policy (Scottish Government, 2021). Despite increasing attention to inclusivity in fisheries governance (Jentoft, 2020), there is limited understanding of the specific barriers and opportunities facing women in Scottish fisheries, and of the changes they themselves would prioritise.
This project addresses this gap by bringing women’s voices to the centre of analysis and policymaking. Its core aim is to document women’s everyday roles and experiences, identify barriers and opportunities, and amplify their ideas for change in order to inform more inclusive fisheries and blue economy policy. In doing so, it contributes to three strands of literature: gender and fisheries (Frangoudes & Gerrard, 2018; Kleiber et al., 2015), resilience and just transitions in coastal economies (Jentoft, 2020), and critical blue economy scholarship that calls for equity alongside sustainability (Silver et al., 2015). Also, the project will, for the first time, localise the knowledge produced revealing this way local variations in barriers and opportunities, and thus, opening a space for more responsive, place-based policies.
The project’s contribution is both empirical and methodological. Empirically, it will generate rich, situated accounts of women’s experiences across Scottish coastal regions. Methodologically, it combines narrative storytelling with natural language processing and digital mapping, ensuring that women’s stories remain central while using computational tools to identify recurring themes and geographic variation. By producing outputs accessible to both academic and non-academic audiences, the project will also advance knowledge exchange practices in fisheries governance research. Outputs will include not only academic publications, but also accessible formats designed to inform current policy debates on the Scottish blue economy. Therefore, the research does not simply study women, but creates space for them to articulate priorities that can shape the design of policy and practice, generating knowledge that supports Scotland’s future resilience and inclusivity.