Traditional Maritime Knowledge Systems and Gendered Division of Labor (A Case Study of Seaweed Farmers in Bulukumba, Indonesia)

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-545-4_66How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Traditional maritime knowledge; Gendered Division of Labor; Seaweed Farmers; Bulukumba

Abstract

This study investigates the intersection between traditional maritime knowledge systems and the gendered division of labor within seaweed farming communities in Bulukumba, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. While women contribute significantly to critical stages of seaweed cultivation including seed preparation, maintenance, and post-harvest processing the control over strategic decision-making, such as pricing, distribution, and large-scale processing, remains largely dominated by men. Existing research on the blue economy and maritime governance often overlooks the gendered dimensions of local knowledge systems, resulting in the underrepresentation of women’s roles in traditional maritime sectors. Using a qualitative research design that includes in-depth interviews, field observations, and secondary data analysis, this study seeks to fill this gap by examining how gendered labor structures are embedded within traditional maritime knowledge systems and how these practices interact with wider economic networks. The findings demonstrate that women’s ecological knowledge plays a crucial yet unrecognized role in sustaining seaweed cultivation practices. By applying gender and development perspectives alongside local knowledge governance frameworks, this study argues that the empowerment of women in traditional maritime communities is essential for achieving inclusive and sustainable blue economy policies. This research contributes to academic debates on gender relations, local wisdom, and maritime governance in Southeast Asia, offering critical insights for policy formulation and community-based development.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Tazkiyah Eka Puteri
AU  - Muhammad Nasir
AU  - Husain Abdullah
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/03/13
TI  - Traditional Maritime Knowledge Systems and Gendered Division of Labor (A Case Study of Seaweed Farmers in Bulukumba, Indonesia)
BT  - Proceedings of the World Conference on Governance and Social Sciences 2025 (WCGSS 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 967
EP  - 976
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-545-4_66
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-545-4_66
ID  - Puteri2026
ER  -