Women play a vital role in the building of our Nation. Women constitute almost half of the working population in the Sea Food Sector, especially in the small-scale and artisanal fisheries sector. The estimate is out of the total 5.4 million people engaged in fisheries activities, 3.90 million are fishermen and 1.50 are fisherwomen. They are actively engaged in the fields of fisheries, aquaculture, seafood processing and related services. The role played by Women in Inland Fisheries is very important, which is a major sector for establishing national food security. The work done by women including pre and post-harvest activities, paid and unpaid, are spread across the value chain.

In states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Gujarat and the North East women are involved in the fishing of Clams, crabs, fish fry, seaweed, chank etc. With their wealth of knowledge about local and traditional ecosystems they contribute towards sustainable use and conservation of marine and coastal resources.

The role of women in the small scale and artisanal sectors are often unrecognised and they need to be empowered to address their rights. They do not have any access to social security, capital and credit. They face hardship in security land rights and access to fishery resources. They face unsafe and unhygienic working conditions with poor wages, especially those who are engaged in the post-harvest activities. The disparity in incomes earned by men and women is unfair as women are obviously paid less for the same or even more amount of work done.