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Gender and Declining Fisheries in Lobitos, Perú: Beyond Pescador and Ama De Casa

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Research, Action and Policy: Addressing the Gendered Impacts of Climate Change

Abstract

Climate change affects the capacity of artisanal fisherfolk in Perú to generate a reliable income. Men’s difficulty in fulfilling their traditional gender role as the primary income earner threatens social constructions of masculinity. International research explores the growing phenomenon of women engaging in non-traditional livelihoods for financial survival due to climate change. The case study of Lobitos, an isolated fishing village in northern Perú, shows that women experience emancipation and oppression with declining fisheries and livelihood adaptation. Economic and environmental uncertainty is connected to a departure from the gendered work roles of pescador [fisherman] and ama de casa [female household manager], vulnerability and safety concerns, enhanced focus on education, and increased female employment. This case study demonstrates that the machismo/marianismo paradigm, a prevailing dichotomous gender framework in Latin American literature, fails to recognise the multiplicity of gender identities and the processes of gender renegotiation in a community affected by climate change.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Gender, Leadership and Social Sustainability Research Unit, Department of Social Work, Monash University, Caulfield, VIC, Australia

    Naomi Joy Godden BSW (Hons), BA (Australian Indigenous Studies)

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  1. Naomi Joy Godden BSW (Hons), BA (Australian Indigenous Studies)
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Correspondence to Naomi Joy Godden BSW (Hons), BA (Australian Indigenous Studies) .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Department of Social Work, Monash University, Dandenong Road 900, Caulfield East, 3145, Victoria, Australia

    Margaret Alston

  2. , Department of Social Work, Monash University, Dandenong Road 900, Caulfield East, 3145, Victoria, Australia

    Kerri Whittenbury

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Godden, N.J. (2013). Gender and Declining Fisheries in Lobitos, Perú: Beyond Pescador and Ama De Casa . In: Alston, M., Whittenbury, K. (eds) Research, Action and Policy: Addressing the Gendered Impacts of Climate Change. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5518-5_18

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