Current gender equality status in EU blue economy – Gaps and recommendations for a more inclusive and fair sector

Gender equality and the empowerment of women are core priorities of the European Union. However, strategic sectors such as the blue economy remain comparatively underexplored in terms of structural and cultural barriers to female participation with both traditional and emerging industries being still male dominated. Against this backdrop, this paper presents the findings of a systematic review of publications from 2010 to 2024 addressing gender equality issues in the European Union blue economy. Across the 1154 publications identified, a subset of 65 studies fully met the eligibility criteria with a concentration of studies from the United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, Norway and Sweden. Most contributions focus on long-established sectors, particularly fisheries and maritime transport, while considerably less attention has been devoted to gender dynamics in emerging activities such as blue biotechnology, marine renewable energy or blue sports. By synthesising fragmented evidence and identifying sector-specific gaps, this review contributes to ongoing European Union policy debates on gender mainstreaming, skills development and inclusive blue growth, supporting the design of targeted policies, funding and capacity-building measures aligned with current sustainable blue economy and Research and Development European Union strategies.