Women in small-scale fisheries
Women in the small-scale fisheries sector have diverse capacities, capabilities and levels of power. Women are often engaged in processing and selling fish. In some cases, women own boats and finance fishing operations that employ men and in other cases they conduct their own fishing. But in the majority of cases, women face inequalities in terms of accessing resources, services, employment opportunities, taking part in decision-making, and more.
Striving for gender equality in fisheries means both letting women take their place in all fora, and acknowledging the often invisible work and responsibilities they take on.
Equal participation in policy and practice
The SSF Guidelines call for equal participation of women and men in organizations and in decision-making processes. Policies and legislation must support equality, and both women and men must have access to appropriate technologies and services to carry out their work.
The SSF Guidelines also encourage states to respect international human rights law and to challenge gender-discrimination in laws, policies, customs and practices – not only in fisheries, but in society as a whole.
One of the goals of the SSF Guidelines is to help transform all the institutional arrangements that make up a society, to eventually root out gender inequality.
Gender equity and equality are core objectives and guiding principles of the SSF Guidelines, and gender considerations are frequently addressed throughout.
Chapter 8 in the SSF Guidelines is about gender equality and equity. Gender issues are also mainstreamed throughout the SSF Guidelines.
SSF Guidelines video on gender equality and equity
Explore the SSF Guidelines Flickr album on Gender equality and equity
Publications
Mapping women’s small-scale fisheries organizations in Indonesia: Results from assessing current capacities, gaps and opportunities to strengthen women’s organizations in the sector
08/11/2023
The report provides a national overview of women's small-scale fisheries (SSF) organizations, defined as formal and informal organizations engaged in...
Empowering women in small-scale fisheries for sustainable food systems
10/07/2020
In March 2020, a regional inception workshop was held in Ghana a project of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the...
A review of women's access to fish in small-scale fisheries
01/07/2015
ABSTRACT Women play a critical role in every link of the value chain in small-scale fisheries, although their best-known roles are in processing...
The Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication - At a glance
31/12/2015
The Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines) are...
The Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication
31/12/2015
The SSF Guidelines are the result of a bottom-up participatory development process based on the recommendations of the Twenty-ninth and Thirtieth Sessions...
Towards gender-equitable small-scale fisheries - Proceedings
30/11/2016
Abstract Following the endorsement of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty...
Towards gender-equitable small-scale fisheries governance and development – A handbook
31/12/2017
This handbook was developed to support gender-equitable small-scale fisheries by enhancing the understanding of their gender dimensions, with a focus...
Women’s participation and leadership in fisherfolk organizations and collective action in fisheries
01/07/2018
The increased recognition of the multiplicity of roles played by women in, and their crucial contributions to, the fisheries sector exists in stark...
ICSF's Summary of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-scale Fisheries in the context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication
02/01/2019
Published by International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF) Access here
Pacific Handbook for Gender Equity and Social Inclusion in Coastal Fisheries and Aquaculture
09/07/2019
This handbook is designed to give practical guidance on improving gender and social inclusion in coastal fisheries and aquaculture for staff working...
Advancing Gender in The Environment: Gender in Fisheries—A Sea of Opportunities
27/01/2020
This document summarizes research on the intersection of gender and wild-caught fisheries, exploring the ways in which fisheries offer important entry...
Report of the national gender training workshop
13/09/2021
This report provides details of a national gender training workshop for small-scale fisheries technical project staff, key value chain stakeholders,...
A methodological guide for mapping women's small-scale fishery organizations to assess their capacities and needs
20/01/2022
The purpose of this methodological guide is to outline how to conduct an empirical assessment of the current landscape of women’s small-scale fishery...
Mapping women´s small-scale fisheries organizations in Malawi
04/02/2022
Through the FAO-NORAD project, survey data was used to “map” women’s organizations and assess their present capacities and needs in the small-scale...
Mapping women’s small-scale fisheries organizations in Sierra Leone
04/02/2022
Through the FAO-NORAD project, survey data was used to “map” women’s organizations and assess their present capacities and needs in the small-scale...
Mapping women’s small-scale fisheries organizations in Ghana
04/02/2022
Through the FAO-NORAD project, survey data was used to “map” women’s organizations and assess their present capacities and needs in the small-scale...
Mapping women’s small-scale fisheries organizations in Uganda
04/02/2022
Through the FAO-NORAD project, survey data was used to “map” women’s organizations and assess their present capacities and needs in the small-scale...
Post-harvest practices for empowering women in small-scale fisheries in Africa
03/03/2022
This report provides a summary of key findings from a desk review and primary data research that has aimed to identify successful post-harvest initiatives...
Gender and food loss in sustainable fish value chains in Africa
25/03/2022
Food losses are a major concern and occur in most fish distribution chains worldwide. Not only do losses constitute lost income to fishers, processors,...
Women and men in small-scale fisheries and aquaculture in Asia
28/04/2022
Fisheries and aquaculture contribute to food security and livelihoods of millions of people in Asia. Both women and men are engaged in fisheries and...
Did you know?
Women make up an estimated 47 percent of those involved in small-scale capture fisheries, accounting for around 56 million jobs along the fisheries supply chain, mostly in activities like processing and trade of fish.
In many parts of the world, women’s struggles for change are an important part of the history of small-scale fisheries, whether for better infrastructure, democratic representation or meaningful participation in making decisions and formulating policies. Yet much of the fisheries-related work that women do is overlooked.
Women in fisheries need to be seen and acknowledged, gain equal rights and equal access to assets like credit and technology, and have equal say in decision-making and policy processes.
Get to know the SSF Guidelines
- Responsible governance of tenure
- Sustainable resource management
- Social development and decent work
- Value chains, post-harvest and trade
- Disaster risk and climate change
- A human rights-based approach
- Indigenous peoples and small-scale fisheries
- Food security and nutrition
Contact