Involvement of men and women in gleaning macro-invertebrates in Baganga, Davao Oriental, Philippines

Abstract

Gleaning macro-invertebrates is an essential activity for coastal dwellers, providing food and a source of income. Despite its significance, little is known about its gendered nature in the country. This study aimed to document the gender patterns of men and women involved in gleaning in Davao Oriental. The researcher conducted interviews, field observations, and mapping in two coastal barangays of Baganga, Davao Oriental. Men and women engaged in gathering macro-invertebrates were noticeably different regarding the methods used, presence and absence of target species, and gleaning grounds. Women were found to be more involved in gleaning than men. The accessibility of women to macro-invertebrate resources was influenced by factors such as distance to gleaning grounds, occurrences of low tide, and good weather conditions. However, accessibility to economically important species limits women due to their lack of implements and fear of waves and even depths. The tools in gleaning used by both men and women in gathering macro-invertebrates were exploitative, which may pose potential destruction to seagrass beds, if unregulated. Men can quickly shift gleaning grounds to look for high-value species, whereas women generally stay at shallow intertidal areas to gather preferably low-valued species. High dependence on gleaning was observed providing income for both men and women in Kinablangan and food source for men and women in San Victor. Though women had higher gleaning efforts than men, gleaning provides them low daily revenues.