Empowerment of women involved in clam fisheries of Kerala - a case study

Abstract

Fisherwomen contribute significantly for the coastal economy as well as their own disposable household income. Yet their socio-economic status in the society is lagging far behind the man. The high degree of wage disparity between men and women for doing tire same job indicates the general level of exploitation and gender inequalities. The special feature of clam fisheries is that women exclusively perform the entire activities pertaining from its collection from the backwaters and ultimate disposal to consume:-s. The present study reveals that women in clam fisheries are performing time consuming and prolonged labour intensive works. These heavy workloads leave very little time for rest, leisure or tire pursuit of any other activities. The study also focused attention on the need for empowerment of women involved in clam fisheries in the Vembanadu and Ashtamudi lakes of Kerala.