Women involved with fisheries in the Northern Westfjords of Iceland : roles, perceptions, and hope

• Main Author: Yingst, Alexandra, 1993-
• Other Authors: Háskólinn á Akureyri
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: 2017
• Subjects: Háskólasetur Vestfjarða; Haf- og strandsvæðastjórnun; Sjávarútvegur; Konur; Meistaraprófsritgerðir; Coastal and marine management; University Centre of the Westfjords; Arctic; Veita; Haf; Iceland
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1946/29740

Verkefnið er lokað til 05.03.2019. In Iceland, women have played a significant role in fisheries throughout the centuries, but people who manage fisheries today overlook their presence in the industry. Women have different roles and experiences than men do in the sector, and paying attention to these differences could improve management that could benefit both the fisheries in which they work and the workers themselves. Gendered migration and gendered labour are common occurrences seen throughout fishing communities in the Arctic. In the Westfjords of Iceland, most women involved in the fisheries sector work in fish processing, have gendered roles, and are originally from countries outside of Iceland. This thesis compares and contrasts the roles, perceptions, and hopes that Icelandic women and women from other countries have. Through 10 semi-structured interviews and surveys (n=93), this thesis both qualitatively and quantitatively describes the lives of women involved in these sectors in the northern Westfjords region. The results show that there are significant differences between job satisfaction, life satisfaction, and enjoyment of community of women from different countries involved in the fisheries sector, all indicators of total quality of life. Icelandic women were found to have a higher quality of life than women of other nationalities, with Polish women having the lowest quality of life. Information gained from studies like this can contribute necessary and important local knowledge about the quality of life of women involved in these sectors so that socially responsible management decisions can be made. Gögn um konur í sjávarútvegi og fiskeldi skortir um allan heim. Á Íslandi hafa konur gegnt veigamiklu hlutverki í sjávarútvegi í gegnum aldirnar en í dag er litið framhjá þátttöku þeirra. Þær hafa önnur hlutverk og ólíka reynslu en karlmenn í geiranum og með því að veita ólíkri reynslu þeirra athygli er hægt að bæta stjórnunina sem bæði getur gagnast þeim sjávarfyrirtækjum sem þær vinna fyrir og ...