Petty Fish-trade, Marginal Profits and Gender Roles: The Plight of Women Fish Vendors of Coastal Communities of Kanyakumari District, Tamil Nadu Kildos A. Research Scholar, Mononmaniam Sundaranathar University, Trinelveli, Tamil Nadu, India. Email: mckildos@gmail.com Online published on 16 October, 2013. Abstract This paper is an outcome of empirical study conducted on small -scale fish vending women of various coastal villages of Kanyakumari district, Tamil Nadu. It aims to put into perspective their role in supply of fresh fish to long-established traditional markets at the local level. Despite the modest nature of their task, the women's role in low-cost fish distribution to the hinterland is extremely important because it is on that their survival depends. Vital data are gathered from various groups of fish vending women in the two sample coastal villages of Kanyakumari district. This paper presents their vulnerability owing to capitalist development arising from the production and marketing of marine fishery resources. Competition with big traders for fish purchasing leading to inevitable borrowing of money at high interest from informal credit sources, loss of income resulting in decline in the overall well-being of the households and decrease in number of women fish vendors leading to lack of alternative employability have deleterious effects on households under question. The women use different coping strategies. They create small, supportive groups among themselves as a tactic. The paper also suggests a road map ahead for the improving of their livelihoods such as initiating alternative sources of employment programme, fish processing industry, post harvest handling practices, drying and value added fish products can be of some remedial measures. Top Keywords Commercialized fishery, Traders, Women fish vendors, Livelihood, Group fish vending, Alternative income generation. Top |