Women’s contribution to small-scale fishing community is often unrecognized and the real benefits from their involvement in activities are not objectively assessed. This qualitative research study focuses on the women’s participation in fishing community in Aklan. The findings revealed that in most fishing activities, women’s role is significant. Women’s participation in fishing includes: net mending, sorting fish, fish vending, trading and market retailing and processing and preservation. Women also have been found directly involved in preparing cage and maintenance, procuring good quality seed, and stocking. Some women are also found to be selling fish on their own, and most vend by the public market and streets. Fishing is an occupation dominated by men because of the image that only men go to sea in their fishing boats. In most cases, women in fishing communities are not allowed to go with the fishing vessels, but this prohibition is tied mostly to the need for them to remain within the premises of the household so they can attend to their designated responsibilities in the home. Due to this, they have little direct involvement in fish capture. However they are involved in shell and fry gathering/gleaning, spear fishing in rivers, reef fishing using scoop nets, traps and fish baskets, all of which tend to be near-shore activities. Women’s participants’ family income has increased which is mostly used for food, health, and education as a very important positive aspect of change. Women’s participation in fishing community, according to the findings, ensures certain extent of social and economic empowerment in the rural societies. However, they expressed that they would like to sustain through bank and NGO loan, local moneylender and petty cash personal savings.
KEY WORDS: Fishing Community, Income, Participation, Rural Women, Sustainable Livelihood
Socio-Economic Conditions of Small-Scale Hilsa Fishers in the Meghna River Estuary of Chandpur, Bangladesh