Advancing gender equality in international ocean science: Participatory approaches for institutional actions

Gender inequality in international marine and ocean science is an ongoing barrier to ocean governance sustainability goals and requires systemic institutional transformation. Examining how participatory approaches can be applied at international level and contribute to advancing a gender equality agenda can help identify pathways for change. This study uses a timeline of a feminist participatory action research (FPAR) to explore its application within the International Council of the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), working with its community of marine science professionals, to advance gender equality. By documenting and mapping formal and informal actions against a theory of change, the research reveals that stages of awareness, understanding, and action are dynamic and overlap. Despite varying degrees of short-term acceptance and resistance, ongoing community engagement, monitoring, and evaluation is essential for fostering longer-term change. The analysis demonstrates how FPAR can be applied in an intergovernmental organization, with multiple factors, including drivers, data collection, co-creation through dialogue, and specific actions contributing to driving a change agenda and the formulation and publication of a gender equality plan for the organization. The results demonstrate that meaningful actions can occur at various scales, with participatory engagement as central. The results provide evidence of how gender equality as a global meta-norm is diffused into practice and are discussed in the context of the limitations of formal gender equality plans to realize change.