BANGKOK 30 Outubru 2026 (Iklik News) — Women in coastal communities are facing disproportionate health, safety and economic impacts from declining fish stocks, marine pollution and climate change, according to a new UN Women report launched at Asia-Pacific Ocean Week.
The report, Making Waves, examines how climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution are deepening gender inequalities, while women remain underrepresented in decisions about ocean governance and sustainability.
It also finds that women and men experience ocean-related pressures differently, shaped by unequal access to resources, social norms and decision-making.
Among the report’s findings, women’s anaemia rates are on average 2.4 percentage points higher in areas where bottom trawling and other forms of industrial fishing are common. The report says intensive fishing can deplete fish stocks and displace small-scale fishers. When food becomes scarce, discriminatory norms may also lead women to eat less so other family members can eat.
Anaemia rates are also 3.1 percentage points higher among women in coastal areas with high levels of pollution-driven eutrophication, compared with other areas.
Women who rely on nearshore harvesting may also have fewer options when ocean acidification affects marine life and catches decline. Men are 1.6 times as likely as women to be able to move to new harvesting locations, the report says. Women’s mobility can be restricted by unequal access to assets and discriminatory social norms.
The report identifies Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu as having the most acidified surface waters in the Pacific, where women also have a high reliance on fish for food and livelihoods.
It warns that saltwater intrusion can affect pregnancy outcomes when people consume salinized drinking water. Reported risks include gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, eclampsia and preterm birth. The report also finds higher rates of underweight newborns in coastal areas with higher soil salinity, with notable differences in Brazil and India.
Climate-related relocation can create additional risks for women and girls. In nine Fijian villages experiencing recent relocation, adolescent birth rates were 44 per cent higher than the national average, while attitudes supportive of domestic violence were also above the national average, the report says.
Rising seas, coastal flooding and pollution can also increase women’s unpaid care work. Damage to homes, contaminated water and disrupted services may add to responsibilities that are already disproportionately carried by women. Beach litter can further increase the time women spend separating waste from their catch.
Women also remain underrepresented in ocean-related decision-making. They make up as much as 43 per cent of ocean researchers, but hold 14 per cent of ministerial portfolios related to fisheries, agriculture and other relevant areas, and account for 13 per cent of personnel enforcing marine protections, according to the report.
The report further highlights women’s limited representation in senior roles at companies that contribute to ocean pollution. None of the 13 major plastic-polluting brands examined had a woman chief executive, while two of the 20 highest-emitting companies had women CEOs.
“The data and analysis presented in this report serve as a wake-up call,” said Christine Arab, UN Women’s Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific. She said ocean and coastal ecosystems face growing threats, with disproportionate consequences for women’s health, safety, time and agency.
The report was produced by UN Women, with data and input from the UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission. It received technical and financial support from the governments of Australia, France, Ireland and Sweden through their contributions to the Women Count Programme.
Journalist: Zevonia Vieira
