Assessment of women involvement in artisanal fishery enterprises in Lagos State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study assessed women’s involvements in fishery enterprises in Lagos State, Nigeria. Multistage sampling procedure was used to select 120 women fisher folks (WFFs) involved in fishery enterprises. Data collected using structured interview guide were subjected to descriptive and inferential analyses. Results on socioeconomics characteristics revealed that majority of the WFFs were >50 years, married and had primary education. Fish marketing (63.3%) and processing (82.5%) were the most dominant occupations of the WFFs. Also, women’s involvement in fisheries activities was either high (40.0%) or moderate (45.8%). Limited access to improved fisheries technologies, low literacy of women, and lack of collateral for bank loans were the most severe constraints limiting WFFs. Chi-square analyses established that there were significant associations between WFFs’ age group (χ² = 12.667, p ≤ 0.05), level of education (χ² = 28.967, p ≤ 0.01), area of specialization (χ² = 18.476, p ≤ 0.01), fisheries experience (χ² = 14.931, p ≤ 0.01) and their level of involvement in fisheries activities. It was concluded that WFFs’ level of involvement was relatively high due to their active participation in fisheries activities. Therefore, WFFs roles in fisheries can be improved through education, financial empowerment and availability of fishing inputs.