ABSTRACT
If we understand maritime security to concern the safety and security of individuals in maritime spaces, then it follows that we should be interested in who these individuals are, and their social positioning within categories and hierarchies of gender, class, race or ethnicity. The individuals whose lives and livelihoods depend on safety and security in maritime spaces are men and women whose experiences and opportunities within these spaces are determined by social, economic and political structures of gender inequality. These gendered realities have often been overlooked. This chapter provides a more in-depth look at some particular issues, examining the ways in which social constructions of gender, in intersection with other social categorisations, impact on questions of maritime rescue and the role of maritime security in migration and refugee “crises”. It then goes on to discuss gender mainstreaming in maritime security strategies and the limitations of what this has achieved thus far.
