Women fish vendors in Kerala, India: an analytical study of access to inputs and services

Abstract

Women are predominantly engaged in postharvest fisheries and comprise about 75% of those engaged in fish marketing in India. The roles performed by fisherwomen are often not recognized. With the recent penetration of technology, mechanization, and capital orientation in fishing and fish vending, the business atmosphere has further turned against the interests of women. Women have to face competition in accessing fish, availing a prospective selling space, locating customers at their preferred time, and to adjust with the changing consumer preference to provide fish in a ready-to-cook form. With this background, a study was undertaken among women fish vendors of the south Indian state of Kerala, to analyze their access to inputs and services and to collect gender-disaggregated data. A large level of regional variation was observed in terms of the involvement of women in fish vending owing to established cultural norms. There exists skewed access to inputs and services like fish, credit, ice, infrastructure facilities, transportation, and storage facilities for women in the state. Women with poor social and economic networking were less privileged to have an incremental income from their traditional fish vending. There was a clear indication of the influence of financial capabilities such as employment days, volume, and variety of fish handled in determining the daily income of vendors. The inability to invest in fish vending activities was found to influence daily revenue. We recommend the convergent efforts of various organizations to enhance the livelihood status of fisherwomen