Research findings and a panel presented by Women in Seafood Australasia at Seafood Directions 2022 emphasised the need for the industry to tackle the gender gap at all levels.
Research conducted by Women in Seafood Australasia (WISA) in 2021-22 has revealed that the number of women employed in the Australian seafood industry had fallen 20% between 2006-2016.
The results of this FRDC-funded project were presented during a WISA-run session at the Seafood Directions Conference in Brisbane in September titled ‘A workforce in decline: How can the Australian Seafood Industry attract and retain women?’
WISA Executive Officer Dr Kirsten Abernethy led the research project with Dr Emily Ogier from the University of Tasmania. Kirsten presented findings on who the women in the industry are and the barriers to opportunities they experience.
The project team analysed ABS Census data, surveyed industry participants, and conducted in-depth interviews with women in the industry.
Members of WISA taking part in Seafood Directions.
“We’re trying to get a better image of what the participation rates of women are, what roles they play and who they are,” Kirsten said.
“But the more interesting part is: what are the key barriers that prevent women from wanting to make the seafood industry an industry they want to work in? And how can they progress in that industry?”
While there were complex reasons that could prevent women from progressing in the industry, WISA identified five key changes needed:
- Freedom from sexual harassment
- To be respected, valued and included
- Equal opportunity to progress
- Access to networks, champions and mentors
- Support for responsibilities outside of work
Survey trends
Alarmingly, 20% of the women surveyed said there was sexual harassment at their workplace, which Kirsten said was likely to be an underrepresentation of the actual number.
Interviews conducted alongside the survey revealed there was a general concern about the lack of systems for reporting sexual harassment in many organisations and small businesses.
Another clear trend was that most women felt that they were at a disadvantage compared to men when it came to taking time off to have a family. Kirsten pointed out that while this issue was not exclusive to the seafood industry, it still indicated a need for organisations to have more flexibility in terms of work hours and opportunities to work from home.
The survey also revealed that about a third of women felt that the culture of the industry did not properly value, respect and include women.
“They feel like they don't have the same opportunity of getting a promotion as men. They don't feel like they're listened to, taken seriously, or valued,” Kirsten said.
However, another third of women felt neutral, while a third disagreed with the sentiment that they were not respected and valued. Men responding to the survey consistently saw these issues as less significant than women respondents did.
Kirsten noted it could sometimes be difficult to recognise if certain things were happening because of gender. Speaking from her own experience, she says it could be easy for a woman to just assume she is not good enough and needed to work harder, instead of recognising a more systemic problem.
Some people also did not see discrimination simply because there were already people and organisations in the Australian seafood industry working hard to be inclusive.
“We want to start a conversation with all of the industry and with leaders, men and women, about how we can shift those numbers so that women do feel more included,” Kirsten said.
Panel provides perspectives
The panel discussion following Kirsten’s presentation included members providing diverse perspectives on the issues presented. It comprised Dr Emily Ogier; Craig Fox, Western Abalone Divers Association, Abalone Council Victoria and Abalone Council Australia; Sally Roberts, FRDC; Lukina Lukin, Dinko Seafoods; and Chris Calogeras, C-Aid Consultants and FRDC director.
Panellists agreed on the need for support networks for women in the industry, such as WISA, as well as small support groups that could provide opportunities to make friends in the industry.
They also identified the need for men to support women’s progress in the industry and to call out gendered biases from other men and industry leaders to help shift the culture.
Lukina Lukin talked about the importance of encouraging women to apply for roles in the industry and to learn from experience. She said women often felt that had to be overly qualified for the role to put their hand up, but it was important for women to have confidence in themselves.
Chris Calogeras spoke on the significance of being an enabler and encouraging people to participate and take on roles in seafood.
“I look at my roles and think about who could take them on. I try to think of a more diverse approach because often that will be a woman or an Indigenous person. I look at people as colleagues,” Chris said.
Craig Fox discussed the importance of men such as himself recognising and encouraging women as equally capable contributors to the industry. He gave the example of asking one of his daughters to dive for him to complete his season’s abalone quota.
“She did it smarter and safer than what I could do,” Craig said. “The smarts that come with diversity make a big difference to my business.”
Emily Ogier spoke about the need for leaders to do bias training that leads to more recognition of the barriers for women, and how she works extensively with HR departments to increase diversity.
Sally Roberts, who is FRDC Capability, Capacity & Culture Change Manager, said WISA members were a crucial presence at Seafoods Directions.
“It was phenomenal to see WISA front and centre driving lots of discussions, both at this session and throughout the conference,” Sally said. “Kirsten did a really good job at presenting the research and I think the room was really engaged with the data.”
“The dynamics of the panel were great as well. It was representative of different people, different levels of experience, different roles across the industry as well, and a good mixture of gender.”
Sally said WISA’s activities at the conference were a great example of the good work its members were doing in the industry more broadly.
“It’s great that there is an organisation like WISA driving the conversation around diversity, building awareness and capability across the fishing and aquaculture community. We are all better for it.”
In addition to the presentation and panel discussion, WISA also contributed to Seafood Directions by holding two workshops and the thought-provoking Power Up Breakfast, featuring ABC journalist Annabel Crabb.
WISA was recognised with the People and Development Award as part of the Seafood Industry Awards, which were presented at a gala dinner in association with Seafood Directions. WISA is supported by FRDC as part of its commitment to building a culture that is inclusive and forward thinking.
Membership of WISA is open to women and men engaged in the seafood industry in Australia, New Zealand and neighbouring islands of the Pacific. WISA develops networks, shares information; and delivers programs to enhance the capacity and capabilities of women in the industry. Find out more: womeninseafood.org.au/get-involved/membership
