Investigating the role of women in small-scale fisheries

The main participants in the processing, marketing, and sale of the catch are the women fishermen. The local economy, household incomes, and food security are all boosted by the women who manage the catch and sell the fish for cash and food when it has landed. Fish vendors must transport their goods to marketplaces, in contrast to males whose labor is mostly restricted to the sea, river, or lake. They must deal with the law and the public. They frequently have to cope with ingrained biases and a variety of issues during this process (ICSF, 2010). As women, members of fishing communities, members of the already marginalized Latin Catholic and Dheevara communities, and fish dealers, women suffer four forms of discrimination from the mainstream culture. Because they belong to the fishing community and sell fish as a living, they are shunned by mainstream social groups. They also face discrimination as women in a community that is dominated by men.