AbstractTraditionally the role of women in fishing has gone largely unnoticed, but now in recent years there has been a growing interest about them. However, the task of identifying and quantifying the role played by women in fisheries has yet to be fully developed. This study tackles the role of women in fishing from a double perspective, both quantitatively and qualitatively, focusing on the case of inshore fishing in the Valencia Community (VC) in Spain. Official statistics now incorporate some important changes in order to reflect a more realistic view of women’s involvement in fishing. However, beyond ‘official’ trades and figures, there is a wealth of work largely done by women that goes unnoticed but it's essential for the fishing sector. Overcoming this, introducing women into fishing studies, statistics and fishing institutions, recognising the work of women in the fishing sector or promoting women who work in tasks traditionally carried out by men is a challenge for such a traditional sector, immersed in profound economic and social change.