Abstract
Women’s groups in rural fishery areas were established in the mid-1950s. By 1959, they became integrated in local Fishery Cooperative Associations as parallel organizations. These Fisheries Cooperative Associations, established in 1948, represent all fishers in Japan, who are primarily men. The purpose of the women’s groups was to provide well-being by improving the living conditions of families and communities. While men were busy building the production facilities and the cooperatives, women organized themselves to protect and improve the everyday life of families. From 1995 and the World Conference on Women in Beijing, China, some of these women groups ran economic entrepreneurial activities with the financial support of the State through the cooperatives. This new role of women’s groups aims to improve the economic and social development and environment of families and communities facing depopulation problems who need to increase the number of young people. This paper examines the role of cooperative associations in rural, fishery communities and shows how these associations “handed over” the social responsibilities to the women groups who then developed their social skills and competences. Special emphasis is put on how the women groups changed their activity from social issues to environmental protection, promotion of fishery products, and to entrepreneurial activities. The paper also problematizes the difficulties the women met in order to get their contribution to the fisheries communities and industry recognized, as well as their status.
Highlights
In Japan, the first fisheries cooperatives appeared during the democratization process undertaken during the Meiji Era (1868–1912)
Women in Japanese coastal communities have been organized and connected to Fishery Cooperative Associations (FCAs) for many years. They have not had fullmembership rights because of the Japanese law and the practice of: “one member per household.”, which is traditionally reserved for men
Fisheries Cooperative Associations (FCAs) have been less successful in their efforts to improve the wellbeing and viability of fisheries communities
Summary
In Japan, the first fisheries cooperatives appeared during the democratization process undertaken during the Meiji Era (1868–1912). Focus has been placed on the emancipatory role that changing institutions in a more gender inclusive direction can have, in which their internal structures allow room for women on the same terms as men and where women’s voices can be heard Since their establishment, FCAs are the official representatives of fishers and everyone, women and men, youths and children, living in rural fishing communities. The 2017 plan instructs the 942 FCAs to promote women’s economic development, and to start new activities in communities (Statistics of FCA, Fisheries Agency 2017) This has led to the setting up of entrepreneurial activities for women. This meant that FCA women’s groups were— and still are—constantly participating in the quotidian activities and problems of fishing community residents
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