Anguilla 
Antigua and Barbuda 
Grenada 
Bahamas 
Barbados 
Belize 
Dominica 
Guyana 
Haiti 
Jamaica 
Montserrat 
St. Kitts and Nevis 
St. Lucia 
St. Vincent and the Grenadines 
Suriname 
Trinidad and Tobago 
Turks and Caicos 
Women Empowerment in the Belize Fishing Industry
Sandra C. Grant*1, Ralna Lewis Lamb2, Peter A. Murray1, Nidia Chacon3, Isabel Martinez4, Deseree Arzu2
Contact information of author(s)
CRFM Secretariat, Belize (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. )1,
Wildlife Conservation Society, Belize (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. )2,
The Nature Conservancy, Belize (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. )3,
Belize Fisheries Department (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. )4
ABSTRACT
Women’s empowerment is the process by which females who have been denied the ability to make strategic life choices acquire such an ability. There are gender inequalities in the distribution of power in the Belize fisheries sector. Perceptions on gender equality amongst women in the fisheries sector is that they are not treated fairly, and they do not have equal opportunity within a male dominated sector. Within Belize’s fisheries sector, women are not generally engaged, consulted, or valued; consequently, they cannot fully attain their potential contribution to fisheries management and development. Yet, they make significant contribution to the fisheries sector. Women are involved in pre-harvest activities (preparing meals, vessels, fishing equipment, and bait for fishing trip; planning fishing trips, organizing crew); fishing operations; post-harvesting activities (processing, marketing, sale); and the preparation of fish meals (nutrition). Intensified and focused efforts are needed to engage Belizean women and strengthen their capacity for action across segments of the fisheries sector. This paper draws on the case study of Belize’s interventions to address the issues women face in the fisheries sector to illustrate key lessons of the transformative potential of women empowerment. The interactions of resources (access to material, human, and social resources), agency (processes of decision-making and negotiation), and achievements (well-being and outcome) combine to influence women’s empowerment. Women became empowered by their acquisition of new skills, greater knowledge of the marine ecosystem in which they work, and external interventions. Thus, they were able to influence decisions about their future and with confidence they are more willing to participate in decision-making.
HOW TO CITE: Grant, S.C., R. Lewis Lamb, P. A. Murray, N. Chacon, I. Martinez and D. Arzu. 2026. Women Empowerment in the Belize Fishing Industry. Contribution 4.3 IN CRFM, 2026. Papers presented at the CRFM 20th Anniversary Scientific Conference, 28-31 August 2023. CRFM Special Publication No. 35, CRFM Secretariat https://www.crfm.int/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=923
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