"I can't change my life situation": An exploration of the relation between agency and social structure for women in the fishery sector in Mangalore, India

Abstract

A lot of people in the global south's fishery sector live in great poverty. Despite this there is a lack of research which comprises the importance of social sustainability as well as the role of women in the sector. The aim for this paper was to further the understanding of how much agency women in the fishery sector has within the current structures in their context. The research consists of interviews with four women selling fish at a market in Mangalore, with one clerk at the operating corporation and with one union worker. The results from these interviews are discussed together with previous research on agency and social structure. The results show that due to the prevailing structures, the women feel they have little ability to choose how they want to live. The results indicate a lack of resilience due to that the respondents need the market to survive, and if the fish at the market would decrease they would lose their livelihood. The women have low influence on the decisions that might affect the future of the fishery sector and the market. To increase the social sustainability in the fishery sector there is a need for a greater amount of dialog.