Women’s economic empowerment in the Indian Ocean Rim region (IORA)

Healthy oceans are important sources of livelihoods for billions around the world, including women. However, women have often been excluded from employment in traditionally male-dominated fisheries and fishing industries due to discriminatory social norms and unfair employment policies. But progress has been made in some coastal countries, such as the Seychelles, which has seen increase of women in the fisheries sector where there was once a dearth of women on the boats and in the labs.

In this video, meet Isabella Houareau, who leads by example as a woman business owner in the tuna fishing industry in Seychelles. With her leadership, her business has increased the number of women employees and increased productivity by enacting gender-responsive workplace policies, thus creating a culture that promotes gender equality and women’s empowerment.

UN Women, as a part of its work in the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), funded by the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, is committed to advancing sustainable development and women’s economic empowerment in the Blue Economy. Women’s economic empowerment and can be strengthened through public and private policies such as equal pay for work of equal value, parental leave and flexible work schedules to promote work-life balance.

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Special thanks to the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs for their contributions to producing this video and their continued support for UN Women’s work on women’s economic empowerment in the Indian Ocean Rim.