WHY WOMEN?
Gender disparity in ocean science is not a perception problem — it's a structural one, documented across decades of peer-reviewed research. Here's what the evidence shows, and the reason WOS was founded .
THE LEAKY PIPELINE
Women enter.
The system loses them.
Despite over 50% of marine science graduates being women, the gap opens afterwards — and widens at every step up. This is not natural attrition, it is the accumulated effect of biased hiring, unequal funding access, unsafe environments, and institutions that were not designed with women in mind.
"In the absence of gender equality, we're doing mediocre science."
- PETER GIRGUIS - OCEANOGRAPHER, HARVARD UNIVERSITY
of professional researchers in marine science and conservation are women — This has not improved since 2015.
UNESCO 2024 /PLOS ONE global marine science workforce data
38%
of senior positions in EU marine science held by women — consistent across institutions and nations, and reflected in publishing, funding, and leadership.
Giakoumi et al., Biological Conservation, 2021
13–24%
of climate financing goes to women-led organizations.
UNESCO, 2025
1%
of dive professionals (PADI Pros) are women — compared to ~40% of recreational divers. The gap into conservation careers begins before anyone enters a research institution.
PADI / Coral Catch industry gender analysis
20%
RESEARCH VISIBILITY
Women's science goes
unrecognised.
Even when women remain in marine science, their research is less likely to appear in high-impact journals, in senior authorship positions, or at conference keynotes. The visibility gap compounds across careers and shapes whose ideas define the field.
Female authorship in coral reef science, 2003–2018, across 1,677 papers. Progress is real — but men continue to dominate the senior author position, and the current trajectory won't reach parity until 2036.
Ahmadia et al., Frontiers in Marine Science, 2021
18 - 33%
of marine conservation journal papers are authored by women. In the highest-ranked journals including Nature, female authorship drops to around 22%.
Gender Equity in Ocean Science Report, 2019
24 - 34%
of top-publishing authors in ecology, evolution and conservation between 1945 and 2019 were women — across a 74-year study of publishing patterns in the field.
Maas et al., comprehensive ecology authorship study, 2021
~11%
of featured speakers at international ocean science conferences are women, even though roughly 48% of general conference participants are women, close to parity.
UNESCO Global Ocean Science Report (GOSR), 2020
29%
"Representation showed initial improvement — but trends have remained stagnant for over a decade."
Ahmadia et al., Frontiers in Marine Science, 2021
Women’s leadership Strengthens Conservation Outcomes
Women’s Contributions Expand the Scope and Quality of Research
Women Drive Inclusive and Holistic Ocean Solutions
Inclusive Science Enhances Innovation and Resilience
UNESCO 2025
SAFETY & HARASSMENT
The field is uniquely
unsafe for women
Remote field sites, research vessels, and hierarchical team structures create conditions where discrimination and harassment, including sexual harassment can occur far from institutional oversight — and where reporting mechanisms are often absent, unclear, or simply untrusted.
The most common perpetrators are people senior in rank to the victim. Universities and fieldwork settings are the most frequently cited contexts. The WOS survey found this is a sector-wide reality — not a marginal or historical problem.
"Sexual harassment deters talented people from pursuing or maintaining employment in ocean science."
ACKERMAN ET AL., OCEANOGRAPHY, 2023
of women in marine science have experienced sexual harassment in their professional environment — in WOS's own landmark survey.
WOS Sexual Harassment Survey, 2021
78%
more likely — women in STEM are 3.5× more likely to experience harassment than men. Over 90% of targets were students or early-career researchers.
Clancy et al., PLOS ONE, 2014
3.5x
of female respondents cited sexism, bias, harassment and intragender challenges, as the primary obstacles in marine science.
Canfield et al., 2023
55%
Approximately 1 in 2 women do not know how to report harassment within their workplace or institution OR do not feel comfortable reporting harassment, citing fears of career damage or the harasser’s position of power.
WOS Sexual Harassment Survey, 2021
1 in 2
While individual perceptions (regardless of legal definitions) of what constitutes harassment and bullying might vary, sexual harassment includes gender-based harassment (e.g., threats, slurs, lewd comments and images, promoting stereotypes, demonstrating bias and discrimination, or other hateful conduct), unwanted sexual attention, and sexual coercion.
It is not limited to those who identify as women; it can also be aimed at perceived sexual orientation and gender identity.
ACKERMAN ET AL., OCEANOGRAPHY, 2023
COMMON QUESTIONS
Questions we
often get asked
Why focus on women specifically?
Because the evidence shows women face particular documented barriers — from harassment in fieldwork to systematic underrepresentation in senior publishing and leadership.
This is not about excluding men — it's about levelling a playing field that demonstrably has not been level.
What about researchers from marginalised racial backgrounds?
The barriers are compounded. Women from racially marginalised backgrounds face both racial and gender-based exclusion — often simultaneously. Ocean sciences has one of the lowest diversity rates of any STEM discipline in the US. WOS is committed to amplifying not only female voices, but to striving for better racial and ethnic representation and to confronting the structural racism that persists across ocean industries.
What about non-binary and gender-diverse people?
We recognise that gender is a social construct that varies across time, place and cultures. We welcome anyone who identifies as female, trans, non-binary, or gender-non-conforming. The marginalisation experienced by non-binary and gender-diverse people in scientific fields is real — and often more severe. We seek to be a safe and affirming space for all underrepresented voices.
What about men?
Gender equality is about fairness for all genders. Gender equity levels the playing field. WOS is not about excluding men — we are about closing a documented gap. Men play a vital role as allies: by speaking out against discrimination, examining their own hiring and authorship practices, and actively amplifying the voices of their female colleagues. Instead of asking "what about men?", the more useful question is: "how can I be a better ally?"
How to be a
genuine ally
Allyship in marine science is not a declaration — it is a set of daily decisions. For those in senior positions, these are the most impactful changes available to you right now.
Speak up in the moment
Call out discriminatory remarks and behaviour when they happen — in the field, on vessels, in seminars — not only after the fact.
Make fieldwork safe by design
Establish clear codes of conduct before departure. Ensure reporting channels are independent of power structures.
Amplify, don't appropriate
Cite women's research. Refer journalists to female experts. Ensure women receive full public credit for the work they contribute to.
Audit your own practices
Check your citation lists, co-authorship patterns, and speaker recommendations. Are women's contributions consistently credited?
Open doors proactively
Put women forward for roles, grants, speaking slots, and committees — in a system that structurally discourages self-promotion.
Understand intersectionality
Women of colour, trans women, and disabled women face compounded barriers. Generic allyship that ignores this is insufficient.