She sorts, processes, and prepares the fishes for selling.
She seldom casts the nets, but beyond that, she does everything else.
And yet no one notices.
In the male-dominated livelihood that is fisheries, women are never given the spotlight. While fishermen are at the forefront of the fishing industry, to whom much credit is given and benefits are rewarded, women remain at the backstage.
According to the paper entitled Women in Fisheries in Asia written by Siason, et.al., “the degree of participation of women in the fisheries sector is an overall reflection of the cultures, the laws of the country and the priority given by the state to ensure gender equity.” In many fishing activities including aquaculture, the active participation of women in Asia, especially those from depressed fisheries households, is very evident. Nevertheless, women in fisheries in many Asian countries are lowly regarded – a proof that their contribution to the sector is often undervalued and neglected.
In the new set of development agenda by the United Nations (UN) dubbed as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), one of the priority areas was empowering women. This took its most visible form in “SDG 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls”. But while Goal 5 is known as the stand-alone gender goal, women have a significant part to play in all of the SDGs, with many targets specifically recognizing women’s equality and empowerment as both the objective, and as part of the solution.
The role of female empowerment in achieving sustainable development cannot be any more emphasized. This likewise rings true for the fisheries sector in the Lower Mekong Region (LMR), a highly-agricultural area that thrives in the farming and fishing industries.
The Role of Asian Women in Fisheries
According to Women in Fisheries in Asia, women take part in almost every activity in the fisheries sector, including the construction of fishing gears, fish sorting, fish handling, and fish processing. Some women, along with their other family members, would even participate directly in fishing activities in lakes, rivers, and streams. Fish selling, however, is almost solely the domain of women.
But despite their persistent involvement in the fishing sector, many women’s contribution is frequently unrecognized and undocumented. As a result, they do not benefit from adequate and considerable working conditions, facilities, training, and information access. Thus, many of the landless women in the Mekong Region are the "poorest of the poor" in fisheries.
Lao PDR, as part of the LMR, is no exception.
Women, Fisheries, and Lao PDR
As cited by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nation in their field document entitled Gender and Aquaculture in Lao PDR, while the dominant economic activity in Lao PDR is rice production, fishing remains an important source of livelihood for Lao people. In fact, fish culture is considered a viable activity by the government of Lao PDR for the enhancement of food security and income generation among rural communities in Lao PDR.
Siason, et.al. reported that fisheries production constitutes 3% of the Lao GDP; it is estimated that women contribute one half of this figure. “In both capture fisheries and aquaculture, women participate in all the related activities, e.g. fishing, culture, harvesting, post-harvesting, marketing and fish processing. In both the north and south of the Lao PDR, many people supplement their living through fishing activities. This augments both their food intake and income earnings,” according to Siason, et. al.
Traditionally, Laotian men and women involved in fisheries have clear-cut roles, though sometimes, there may also be an overlap. For instance, in capture fisheries, while men primarily make nets and catch fish, women repair broken nets and assist the men in fishing. However, when it comes to processing the fish for preservation, eating, or for selling in the markets, Lao women take the lead.
Women's involvement in fisheries and aquaculture activities also include pond cleaning, fertilizing, feeding the fish, etc. They also cook and preserve fish for domestic purposes. In fact, the Department of Livestock and Fisheries in Lao PDR, which performs laboratory research on artificial breeding of fish, spawning, and fry nursery, includes women as team members. Women obviously lead several aquaculture and post-harvest technology activities, and can likewise play significant roles in various extension services.
The Lao PDR government, with the assistance of the MRC Fisheries Programme, instituted the Lao Women in Fisheries (LWIF) Network in October 1999. But according to Siason, et. al., the network was endangered by many difficulties confronting its female members. “Although a number of problems related to both social and technical issues are encountered by women involved in fisheries activities, there is a lack of appropriate programs to meet the needs of women and their families… The Lao PDR lacks the information and technology to improve traditional practices that can add value to fish products.”
Add to this the fact that the role of women in fisheries is not taken seriously, and the problem gets worse.
Women Laws in Lao PDR
Even the laws in Lao PDR fail to support and recognize female involvement in fisheries.
According to the constitutions set forth by the Mekong Region countries, all citizens should enjoy equal status and must likewise abide by the laws of their respective states. However, the fisheries laws in the countries do not particularly talk about women working in the fisheries sector.
The Lao PDR recognize Women's International Day on March 8 as a Public Holiday, but that’s about it. There is nothing more from the government’s side as far as gender equality in the fisheries sector is concerned.
It is not enough.
Stepping Forward
To guarantee the equal status and opportunities given to Lao females working in fisheries, Siason, et. al. suggests the following:
1. Since women are involved in all fisheries activities either directly or indirectly, development programs should be designed to meet and address the needs of women in order to improve the aquatic resources development practices.
2. The LWIF Network needs to be strengthened in order to cover the entire country and to improve information distribution at all levels or groups of people, especially women, and to carry out its activities effectively.
3. In research, it is critical to target studies to understand the situation of women in fisheries and aquaculture in an in-depth manner. This is to ensure that appropriate policies and technical interventions are put in place to help Lao women cope with future changes.
These are just some of the little steps fisheries stakeholders in Lao PDR could take. But with all the support from government and nongovernment institutions, as well as this generation’s special focus on women for development, they can certainly do a lot more.
So while she repairs fishnets, feeds the fishes, prepares the fresh catch for the market, voiceless and contentedly working behind the scenes, people should start stepping up for her.
She deserves attention.
She deserves to find herself in fisheries.
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