The Role and Status of Chinese Women in Integrated Fish Farming

Abstract

This chapter discusses alternatives for improving the status of women in fisheries, and facilitating their participation in the future development of fisheries. Fisheries work involves very hard manual labor and for this reason is thought to be a profession for men. As the market economy develops further there will be more and more women working in various fisheries sectors, and questions concerning the role and status of Chinese women in fisheries deserve attention. None of these studies, however, considered the status of Chinese women in the fish farming sector. Neither did it give any information about Chinese women in fisheries. Researchers at the Freshwater Fisheries Research Centre launched a research program with financial support from the International Development Research Centre of Canada in order to develop a comprehensive understanding of the role and status of Chinese women in fish farming.