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Role of Women in Community Based Fisheries Management: a Study in Sunamganj Haor Area of Bangladesh

M. Rakib
Department of Economics, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet -3114

M. M. H. Kazal
Department of Economics, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet -3114

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

The present study dealt with the role of women in community based fisheries management in Sunamganj haor area of Bangladesh. To examine the status and quality of women participation in CBFM, an empowerment index was constructed and to compare the impact of participation of women comparative assessment was done between participant and non- participant groups. To identify the constraints and factors influencing women participation, a logit model was performed and regression analysis was undertaken. It was found that the empowerment index of the participant women was higher than the average empowerment level while it was much lower for non- participant women. Besides, most of the non- participants were found in vulnerable group and none in high group. It was also found to be in the that non- participant women had much lower income in both the study sites in fishing and non- fishing activities. Thus, the participants were in a better position than the non- participants. The same conclusion was also derived from the empowerment index. According to the weighted average of the decision- making factors, women mostly played a decisive role in their household decision- making. The regression estimation showed that occupation and membership were always significantly related to women empowerment. The overall impact of the CBFM project on women participants was positive for participation of women belonging to the vulnerable group, training in handicrafts and measures for greater control on assets.

Keywords: Role of women, Fisheries management, Haor

Location: Biswamvarpur, Sunamganj Sadar, Derai, Sunamganj

Start Date: 01-01-2004

End Date: 30-06-2005

Program Area: Socio-economic and Policy

Non-commodity: Impact

Objectives:

To examine the empowerment of women, status and quality of participation of women in CBFM identify constraints and factors influencing women participation and suggesting policy for improving women participation in CBFM.

Methodology:

The study areas were selected purposively to cover both the project sites of the two NGOs working with World Fish Center- Sunamganj Jonokalayan Songstha (SUJON) under Biswamvarpur Upazila and Efforts for Rural Advancement (ERA) under Sunamganj Sadar and Derai Upazila in Sunamganj district. The Beels in the study area were Chatal, Maishakuri, Lamba Beel Majher Kitta and Chitlia Beel in the SUJON site and Chatal, Nainda and Fainda in the ERA site. Thirteen villages in the ERA and eight villages in the SUJON site under the six beels were taken under the study area. A total of 64 women were included in this study (12 from SUJON and 52 from ERA). For conducting a comparative study of participants and non- participants, the non- participants were selected randomly according to availability at the time of data collection (total 48, 18 from SUJON and 30 from ERA). Data were collected using a standard questionnaire. Both qualitative and quantitative data were analyzed and interpreted to obtain the results. The status and quality of participation of women in CBFM was assessed by constructing an empowerment index. The socio- economic characteristics, income, credit, influencing factors and constraints etc. were examined. Logit and OLS were run to find the factors enhancing the women empowerment. To see whether participation improves women empowerment or not, fifteen variables were selected to develop a women empowerment index (WEI). Each of the fifteen variables can take any of the five attributes for each respondent, which represents the relative position of the respondent in the empowerment scale designed to produce measurement of women empowerment. These five attributes were scaled in 1 to 5 based on the relative position of individual woman in her ability and opportunity to take active part in family's decision making process. This range is discrete and a value close to 5 shows higher empowerment. To define the logic, the whole sample was first ranked according to the empowerment index. Then nine classes were built having the range of 0.2. The total number of participants to total respondents in each class was provided with the logit (L), which was denoted as L_EPW in the model. Women empowerment is influenced by total income, occupation and education. It may assume linear form among these variables and Ordinary Least Square (OLS) method was applied.

Source of Information: BANGLADESH JOURNAL OF FISHERIES, Vol. 30, February 2007, pp. 113-123, ISSN 0257 - 4330.

Article Link (Online Journal):

Funding Source:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

Promoting equity and combating discrimination should be the central point to fight for women empowerment. A comparison between participant and non- participant groups conclusively demonstrated that CBFM project contributed to women empowerment. Information for the project area on evaluation of the participant women and participants' opinion about different economic activities lead to the conclusion that CBFM participants enjoyed an improvement in both these counts.

Knowledge Management: Journal