Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Title: Hindered, Overlooked, and Undervalued: Gender Equality in Nordic Blue Economies File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/oceanandsociety/article/view/8761 File-Format: text/html DOI: 10.17645/oas.8761 Journal: Ocean and Society Volume: 2 Year: 2025 Number: 8761 Author-Name: Josefin Ekstedt Author-Workplace-Name: Centre for Blue Governance, Aalborg University, Denmark Author-Name: Kristina Svels Author-Workplace-Name: Natural Resources Institute, Finland Author-Name: Magnus Boström Author-Workplace-Name: Linnaeus University Author-Name: Madeleine Gustavsson Author-Workplace-Name: Institute for Rural and Regional Research, Norway Author-Name: Kristen Ounanian Author-Workplace-Name: Centre for Blue Governance, Aalborg University, Denmark Author-Name: Katrina Rønningen Author-Workplace-Name: Institute for Rural and Regional Research, Norway Author-Name: Milena Arias Schreiber Author-Workplace-Name: School of Global Studies, University of Gothenburg, Sweden Author-Name: Sunniva Midthaug Solnør Author-Workplace-Name: Institute for Rural and Regional Research, Norway Author-Name: Cecilia Österman Author-Workplace-Name: Kalmar Maritime Academy, Linnaeus University, Sweden Abstract: The Nordic countries are ranked among the most gender equal countries worldwide. Equality, political, and civil rights, leading to the high participation of women in the workforce, have paved the way for this egalitarian view. However, women remain the minority in managerial positions in general, and they are also strongly underrepresented in many male‐dominated sectors of the blue economy. The aim of this article is to introduce and discuss gender equality in the blue economy, and to assess the status of gender research in the Nordic context. To achieve this, a purposive interdisciplinary literature review resulted in three encompassing themes on how women’s participation is hindered, overlooked, and undervalued. Using these themes as an analytical lens, we propose that the underlying mechanisms are similar within fisheries, aquaculture, and maritime transportation in how they affect women’s participation. Still, there is a lack of statistics and research within parts of the blue sector. To move forward, there needs to be a shift in focus from policy to practice. One starting point could be to implement current knowledge, e.g., regarding workplace design and tailoring equipment to fit a diverse workforce. We call for scaling up best practices and evaluating policy performance and effectiveness. These are prerequisites for sustainable recruitment and retention of the blue sector workforce and the only way forward for countries aspiring to be truly gender equal. Keywords: blue economy; fisheries; gender equality; labor market; male‐dominated; SDG 5; seafarer; social sustainability; women’s participation; workforce Handle: RePEc:cog:ocesoc:v2:y:2025:a:8761 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Title: The Shortest Nuclear Route to Climate Change to Great Power Competition: Tracing Arctic Security File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/oceanandsociety/article/view/8846 File-Format: text/html DOI: 10.17645/oas.8846 Journal: Ocean and Society Volume: 2 Year: 2025 Number: 8846 Author-Name: Gabriella Gricius Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Political Science, Colorado State University, USA Abstract: Arctic security has been growing in popularity across academia, policymaking, and news media. However, this popularity has come with a notable question: What does Arctic security mean, and how/what knowledges underpin it? This study traces the discourse on Arctic security from the Cold War to the present examining the emergence of different types of security which range from more traditional variants to wider and deeper readings such as environmental and comprehensive security. I identify key strands of Arctic security discourse, trace their interaction over time, and periodize the region. While the Cold War era was dominated by nuclear and traditional security logic, there have been three main shifts since then including (a) the 1990s–2007, (b) 2007–2019, and (c) 2019–present. This research finds that Arctic security knowledge follows global security trends. Thus, as security has widened and deepened globally, so too have the potential meanings of Arctic security expanded. However, there is a clear hierarchy in today’s general discourse with what issues take center stage for the Arctic such as great power competition and climate change. This is in contrast to the Arctic Council, which takes into account all but military security definitions for Arctic security and integrates them in a relatively balanced way. This has implications for ocean governance institutions and the degree to which traditional military security concerns should be left out of broader ocean governance. Keywords: Arctic; Arctic Council; governance; knowledge production; security Handle: RePEc:cog:ocesoc:v2:y:2025:a:8846 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Title: Transnational Intersectionality at Sea: Gender, Appearance, Ethnicity, Age, and Marine Knowledge Production File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/oceanandsociety/article/view/8737 File-Format: text/html DOI: 10.17645/oas.8737 Journal: Ocean and Society Volume: 2 Year: 2025 Number: 8737 Author-Name: Ramona Hägele Author-Workplace-Name: European Ethnology, Julius‐Maximilians‐Universität Würzburg, Germany / Institute for Political Sciences and Sociology, University of Bonn, Germany / German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS), Germany Author-Name: Anna-Katharina Hornidge Author-Workplace-Name: Institute for Political Sciences and Sociology, University of Bonn, Germany / German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS), Germany Abstract: Knowledge production is inherently social, as humans interpret their environment. Scientific knowledge production differs from non‐scientific production in its systematic data collection for validation, yet both involve a social element shaping our understanding of the world. This article investigates social contestation processes as part of knowledge production processes on a German research vessel and in German and Brazilian marine science institutes, with a particular focus on the social identity markers of gender, ethnicity, and age and how they affect team‐based sense‐making processes. Methodologically, our research draws on participant observation of marine scientists and associated non‐scientists in their daily working routines as well as semi‐structured interviews. This took place on a research vessel in 2021 and in marine science institutes from 2022 to 2024. Conceptually, the research follows approaches of the sociology of knowledge and intersectional approaches that integrate transnational experiences across national borders and other (physical) boundaries. Based on this empirical research, we assess transnational intersectional sense‐making practices at sea. Our findings show that (sexual) harassment in marine knowledge production processes occurs independent of localities, intersectional discrimination at sea leads either to emancipation processes or to withdrawal, and tensions arise in particular between scientists and non‐scientists, which broadens the gap between these social groups and knowledge systems. We conclude by providing recommendations for a more diverse workforce at sea and in marine sciences so that the conduct of research and work at sea can be more inclusive, equal, and safe. Keywords: blue economy; gender equality; intersectionality; knowledge sociology; marine science Handle: RePEc:cog:ocesoc:v2:y:2025:a:8737 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Title: The Multifaceted Seafarer: An Explorative Discourse Analysis of Seafarers’ Portrayals in Swedish Maritime Magazines File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/oceanandsociety/article/view/8289 File-Format: text/html DOI: 10.17645/oas.8289 Journal: Ocean and Society Volume: 2 Year: 2025 Number: 8289 Author-Name: Magnus Boström Author-Workplace-Name: Kalmar Maritime Academy, Linnaeus University, Sweden Abstract: Seafaring is a highly male‐dominated occupation. Within the industry, there is an ambition to increase the proportion of women working in maritime professions. In this endeavor, it is relevant to examine how seafarers are portrayed in various contexts. This study aimed to explore the image of seafarers as presented in Swedish maritime magazines: How are seafarers described, and can these descriptions be seen as performative in shaping a professional identity? To meet this aim, a discourse analysis was performed, based on 20 texts from two maritime magazines, representing both rating and officer seafarers. Overall, six subject positions inhabited by seafarers were identified, with several overlapping characteristics. For example, traits of the traditional seafarer were also found in the masculine seafarer and the flexible seafarer. Furthermore, it is argued that several of the subject positions are difficult to combine with what is referred to as the gender‐equal seafarer, mainly due to challenges in balancing family life with extended periods at sea. The study shows that today’s seafarers, according to how they are depicted in Swedish maritime magazines, have considerable agency in shaping their own professional identity without being forced to conform to a hegemonic masculinity. Finally, it is suggested that the term “seafarer” be used instead of “seaman” in both print and everyday conversations, for increased inclusiveness and representation. Keywords: equality; gender; hegemonic masculinity; performativity; seafarer; seaman Handle: RePEc:cog:ocesoc:v2:y:2025:a:8289