Gender and equity
Bangladesh
The fisheries sector has long been considered a male domain, signifying a sense of adventure and risk valued by men. However, women’s involvement in fisheries is more significant than often assumed and, according to estimates from nine major fish producing countries, they comprise 47% of the labour force in small-scale capture fisheries-related activities. While men typically fish from larger boats for longer periods of time, women, particularly in the developing world are engaged in small-scale local fisheries, gleaning for shellfish or seaweeds, net repairs, fish processing and local marketing. Offshore fishing may be still be “a man’s world” but inland it is often women who are more actively engaged, fishing in ponds, lakes, streams and rivers. In some regions of developing countries, such as East and West Africa, Southeast Asia and the Pacific, women also use gear to fish near-shore and off-shore in canoes or boats.
Formal statistics rarely reveal the extent and nature of the essential contribution made by women to men’s pursuit of fisheries.
Most commonly, women support men’s fishing activities by engaging in pre- and post-harvest subsistence tasks and managing the household while men are away at sea. They may also support men by providing much needed credit for boats and gear. They complement men’s fisheries by undertaking fisheries-related tasks that are remunerated with wages or profit such as processing or trading or by engaging in other paid activities. Most often, women’s fisheries-related activities which contribute to the overall wellbeing of households bring lower returns to women relative to that of men.
If gleaning, trading, processing and fish farming were enumerated in addition to fishing, the fisheries/aquaculture sector might well turn out to be a female sphere.
Aquaculture is the fastest growing segment of the global agricultural or food production industry, and women are playing a leading role, especially in developing countries. Often integrated into small scale farming systems, the ‘backyard pond’ has been shown to increase farm productivity, household nutrition and resilience in times of drought. Read about WorldFish’s work on integrated aquaculture-agriculture in Malawi as a typical example [PDF].
In a similar initiative from FAO, Aquaculture for Local Community Development, women are prominent as managers of local aquaculture initiatives and the fish produced provides both for meals and income.
However, customary beliefs, norms and laws and unfavorable regulatory structures of the state, often reduce women’s access to fisheries resources and assets, confining them to the lower end of supply chains within the so-called “informal” sector, and women are rarely involved in decision-making related to fishing at the household, community, regional or national levels.
Lack of attention to the gender dimension of fisheries management can result in policy interventions failing to create sustainable livelihoods. In many cases there is an incomplete understanding of the complexity of gender roles. One factor that could help expand existing knowledge is the collection of disaggregated data on gender and fisheries.
There is a serious need for evidence-based policy in the fisheries sector to ensure gender equitable outcomes in the pursuit of livelihood strategies that lead to the well-being of all households engaged in small-scale fisheries.