Challenging gender norms and taboos: women’s economic resilience to climate change in the fish food systems in Nigeria and Tanzania

ABSTRACT This paper examines fish food systems in Ogun State, Nigeria and Muleba District, Tanzania, to understand how contexts shape women’s motives and approaches to challenging discriminatory gender norms and taboos. It provides insights into factors to consider when seeking to accelerate transformative processes that enhance women’s ability to build economic resilience to climate change. The findings suggest that periods of shifting material conditions offer opportunities for gender-equal social transformation. Furthermore, building on locally developed strategies may yield more sustainable transformative processes since local women are acutely attuned to their cultures’ rhythms and can better identify appropriate strategies and their timing.