Fisherwomen in the Turkish fishery, southern Aegean Sea

Abstract

Summary There are no official records on the active involvement of women in Turkish fisheries nor do governmental institutions acknowledge their participation. The main purpose of this study was to validate their involvement and convey their socio-demographic status and position in the profession. The study material consisted of data collected from on-site surveys and interviews with fisherwomen living in the southern Aegean region of Turkey. Interviewed were fisherwomen working either alone or with their husbands. The ‘snowball’ sampling method was adopted for data collection from a total of 96 interviews with fisherwomen between August and December 2007. In the entire southern Aegean region only ten women were members of a cooperative. Although fisherwomen truly fulfill all functions that the profession requires (both pre- and post-harvest phases), results of the study demonstrate that they are ignored in pertinent policies. The study suggests that gender-oriented data should also be collected; the contribution of fisherwomen to the fisheries sector should be considered and included in related policies.