Publication

Abstract : The Blue Economy (BE) is a turning point in the economic growth of the world as well as the social inclusion of marginalized people for better living conditions. To capitalize on opportunities presented by the BE and advance socioeconomic development, the Indian government created the Blue Economy Framework in 2021. Unfortunately, there is still inadequate progress related to the inclusion of women and disadvantaged communities in India's vast and complex socioeconomic ecosystem, which restricts access to chances in the BE. This literature review study examined 136 papers and reports on women's employment and leadership in the BE and coastal regions. The reviews highlighted that though there are gender mainstreaming policies advanced by the Government of India at the national level, the majority of India's BE sectors, are dominated by men. This is partially because of socio-cultural constructs, a lack of funding for women to launch related businesses, political barriers, and a lack of women's initiatives and training, respectively. Women have also been relegated to precarious coastal and BE professions as a result of negative opinions of their leadership and employment, which limits socio-economic empowerment. However, there is a shift in perception towards women's employment in some industries, such as small businesses involved in coastal tourism, as men and society are realizing the benefits of women in sustaining household welfare due to the vulnerability of marine fisheries and the effects of COVID-19, which presents a chance for women's employment and leadership. We recommend the creation of baseline inventories to generate gender-disaggregated data to inform policy on which sectors hinder women's participation as well as the development of a new pathway and framework to create pathways for women's holistic participation in India's BE are therefore necessary and the use of the systems approach to map actors-especially in coastal communities-as local communities willingness to support women's employment and leadership in BE sectors could aid in women inclusion and empowerment.