Kerala’s fisherwomen: The invisible backbone of India’s marine economy need policy attention

Before dawn breaks over Kerala’s coast, thousands of women set out to keep the state’s fish economy moving. Balancing heavy headloads, long distances, and unpaid care work, fish vendors form the invisible backbone of marine fisheries. Yet, despite their critical roles, their labour remains largely unrecognised, both in policy and in public discourse. Their work is vital to Kerala’s fishing economy, with Thiruvananthapuram district having the largest number of female fish vendors who play a key role in sustaining marine fisheries in the state.

With a coastline over 590 km, covering nine coastal districts with 222 fishing villages and 187 landing centres, Kerala has the highest number (67%) of fisherwomen who have taken up marine fisheries as their full-time occupation followed by Maharashtra and Karnataka. Thiruvananthapuram’s coastal stretch is approximately 78 km, and as high as 70% of fisherwomen work as fish vendors in the district. 

Women play a crucial, but often overlooked role in post-harvest activities that involve fish processing and marketing. As high as 86% of the total fisherfolk of the marine sector involved in marketing are women, while 90 to 95 percent women perform tasks like curing (drying), peeling of prawns, processing and working as labourers.

Majority of the vendors who walk from place to place to sell their fish are women who purchase fish directly at auctions held at wholesale markets/landing centers and sell fish door-to-door, often travelling on foot and carrying fish as headloads. However, their contributions remain invisible at the policy level, and they have to face a number of limitations and hardships while selling fish in the markets. 

Recent studies  show that women experience a number of constraints in marketing and processing activities. Some of them are:

Lack of basic facilities at ports, landing centres and markets 

Mechanisation and motorisation of fishing crafts and centralisation of fish landing centres in recent years mean that women vendors have to travel long distances to access fish and may have to spend overnight at harbours and landing centres in order to participate in early morning auctions. Transportation to landing sites/harbours by public transport is often difficult for women vendors because of the social stigma associated with it. All the harbours, landing centres and markets lack basic facilities such as toilets, storage, lights, waiting areas, and night shelters, which makes it very difficult and inconvenient for women, also making them vulnerable to sexual abuse and harassment at times. Male dominance at auctioning centres also creates problems for fisherwomen to have access to good quality fish. 

Many fish markets also do not have adequate facilities for storing, processing, and selling fish; clean toilets; access to potable running water and ice; and adequate waste disposal measures for hygienic handling of fish and for maintaining the health and wellbeing of vendors as well as consumers and for enabling women to engage with dignity in their occupations.

Poor access to credit coupled with exorbitant interest rates by money lenders

Women have poorer access to credit and capital, and thus they cannot compete with large-scale traders and commission and export agents. Consequently, women are compelled to seek credit from money lenders, which frequently leads them to fall into a cycle of debt due to exorbitant interest rates. 

There is a lack of ice and proper storage facilities 

Fish need to be preserved immediately for a longer shelf life, and the limited supply of ice and the high costs involved often restrict women from buying it, forcing them to sell their fish immediately and often at very low costs, leading to economic losses. 

Problems at marketplaces 

Lack of legitimate vending zones forces women to sell fish on pavements and other areas. Women are thus viewed as encroachers and have to face several restrictions while selling their fish. 

Fisherwomen are exposed to a number of health hazards

A recent open access study titled 'Occupational Health Hazards among Women Fish Vendors in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala published in the Indian Journal of Extension Education, authored by Vijayan, K.B. and Vijayakumari, B.S. on fisherwomen from the Thiruvananthapuram district finds that marginalisation; low literacy; and limited opportunities, along with dual responsibilities of looking after the household and working to earn a living, expose fisherwomen to a number of health hazards. Women work extremely hard and travel long distances on foot, and lack of adequate rest and sanitation facilities exposes them to a range of musculoskeletal and reproductive health problems. 

The study found that:

• Women bore the dual burden of work and worked very hard to make ends meet

Women worked around an average of 6–8 hours daily. Poor, less educated and women having more dependants tended to work longer hours and faced multiple health problems due to dual workloads and work long hours under unfavourable conditions. Hormonal changes and reproductive health problems, such as irregular menstrual cycles or excessive bleeding, influenced the working hours among women. 

Women suffered from a range of health problems

• Musculoskeletal problems were most commonly reported occupational health risks 

Fish vending, often pursued due to tradition or economic necessity, exposed women to multiple occupational health risks. For example, women reported various musculoskeletal problems such as back pain, joint pain, shoulder stiffness and knee discomfort, primarily due to prolonged standing, sitting, walking, and lifting of heavy loads. 

Improper working postures, such as extended squatting or sitting on low stools, led to joint swelling and pain.

• Heat exposure affected health

Many women also experienced headaches and dizziness, often associated with long hours of exposure to direct sunlight. 

• Lack of protective equipment made women vulnerable to occupational hazards

Repeated handling of fish without protective gloves also led to minor cuts, wounds and skin infections, itching and redness among women. 

• Poor access to water and toilets made women vulnerable to reproductive health problems 

Women’s work involved long hours in uncomfortable and unhygienic conditions, often without access to toilets, clean water and proper shelter. More than half of the women were in the reproductive age group and experienced irregular menstrual cycles and heavy menstrual bleeding that lasted for more than 6 to 7 days. Lack of access to toilets, clean water and proper shelter made it very difficult for women to maintain adequate sanitation and hygiene, and many of them suffered from reproductive tract and urinary tract infections. 

• Poverty, marginalisation, lack of education, poor working conditions exacerbated the problems faced by women

Women attributed these health problems to poor working conditions, physical strain and financial or systemic barriers. The economic instability inherent in marine fisheries, marked by seasonal fluctuations and income instability, exacerbated the vulnerability of fisherwomen, while limited access to resources such as water, infrastructure, inputs, credit, extension services, technology, markets, and social insurance further led to their marginalisation and isolation from the mainstream.

Education was a critical determinant in shaping occupational trajectories and restricted access of women to alternative employment opportunities, curtailing labour mobility and diminishing awareness of occupational rights and health hazards. 

Women who adopted fish vending as a traditional occupation reported a relatively better quality of life, possibly due to greater social acceptance and role familiarity. In contrast, those compelled by unemployment exhibited a lower quality of life, reflecting the psychosocial costs of constrained occupational choices. 

Women from the fisheries sector remain invisible at the policy level

Despite the hardships women face and their vital role in marine fisheries, their work often remains invisible at the policy level. A lack of gender-disaggregated data hides their contributions, leading to gender-blind programmes. Because women’s work is informal, and many struggle with low literacy and poverty, their voices are rarely heard. Slow growth of women-led collectives further limits representation. As a result, women workers face poor exposure, unequal pay, and little recognition at the community or policy level.

What can be done to change the situation of women in marine fisheries?

There is a need for:

• Generating gender disaggregated data and information on the roles played by women in fisheries (Aquaculture/pre harvest/post-harvest). This data can be useful for mainstreaming gender considerations in policies and programmes directed at women in the fishing industry.

• Spreading education among fisherwomen, especially digital education  Development, introduction and popularisation of women-friendly fisheries technologies (including package of practices).

• Having location-specific and need-based training programmes with flexible timings for women.

• Improving access to credit/subsidies through awareness creation on government programmes, schemes and policies among women

• Improving access to markets (including e-markets).

• Improving access to good-quality fish (e.g., participation of women in auctions) 

• Improving cold chain facilities 

• Improving infrastructural facilities in markets / processing factories 

• Ensuring pay parity 

• Organising women into FIG’s/FPO’s/clubs for aquaculture/processing activities 

• Ensuring women's leadership in co-operatives, FPO’s, clubs, etc. to enhance their decision-making capacity.

The story of Kerala’s fisherwomen is one of resilience shaped by necessity. But resilience should not replace rights. Recognising their labour, improving working conditions, and ensuring representation in policy are essential steps towards dignity and equity. Making women visible in fisheries is not just about welfare; it is central to building a just and sustainable blue economy.