Making a livelihood at the fish-landing site: exploring the pursuit of economic independence amongst Ugandan women

Abstract

Qualitative life history data were used to explore the experiences of women who live at five fish-landing sites on Lake Victoria, Uganda. We explored what economic and social opportunities women have in order to try to understand why some women are more vulnerable to violence and other risks than others and why some women are able to create successful enterprises while others struggle to make a living. The ability of women to create a viable livelihood at the landing sites was influenced by a wide variety of factors. Women who had or were able to access capital when they arrived at the landing site to set up their own enterprise had a significant advantage over those who did not, particularly in avoiding establishing sexual relationships in order to get support. Being able to establish their own business enabled women to avoid lower paid and more risky work such as fish processing and selling or working in bars. The development of landing sites and the leisure industry may be having an impact on how women earn money at the landing sites, with the most desirable economic opportunities not necessarily being connected directly to fishing.

“The Bottle Is My Wife”: Exploring Reasons Why Men Drink Alcohol in Ugandan Fishing Communities

“…At the same time, some research suggests population size is increasing at various landing sites, specifically in Rakai (Fisheries Training Institute (FIT), 2004), indicating more Ugandans are seeking employment in the fishing sector (due to its ability to provide a fairly steady income) and that fishing communities are becoming increasingly permanent. Overall, however, the transitory nature of fishing communities has led to the formation of new cultural environments, marked by more casual interactions and fewer committed relationships; less priority on family and domestic responsibilities; and more emphasis on enjoyable activities, including alcohol consumption (Beuving, 2010;McArthur, Birdthistle, Seeley, Mpendo, & Asiki, 2013;Pearson et al, 2013;Seeley et al, 2012).…”

“…Even intimate and sexual relationships are perceived as being affected by drinking, as alcohol consumption was perceived as a means of attracting women. Previous research in Africa indicates that purchasing alcohol for women serves as a means to secure sexual access for men, especially with CSWs and transactional sex (Béné & Merten, 2008;Pearson et al, 2013;Westaway et al, 2007).…”

The intersection of intimate partner violence and HIV risk among women engaging in transactional sex in Ugandan fishing villages

“…Ugandan fishing villages are considered HIV/AIDS hotspots, with HIV prevalence markedly higher than the general adult population (22% vs. 7.3%, respectively) (Opio, Muyonga, & Mulumba, 2011; Uganda MOH & ICF International, 2012). Economic insecurity compounded by gender inequity may make women in these communities particularly vulnerable for HIV (Pearson et al, 2013; Seeley, Tumwekwase, & Grosskurth, 2009). Landing sites, made up of a transient population seeking economic opportunities, include a large population of commercial sex workers (CSWs), a population most at risk for HIV (Uganda AIDS Commission, 2014), and transactional sex is reportedly common among other women (i.e., fish sellers, alcohol sellers) (Pearson et al, 2013; Sileo, Kintu, Chanes-Mora, & Kiene, 2016).…”

Community Cohesion: Social and Economic Ties in the Personal Networks of Fisherfolk

“…Given the status of the stocks and concern about management, understanding of social ties and networks could inform new approaches to management as personal networks are known to influence knowledge and behaviour (Prell et al 2010;Stevens, Frank, and Kramer 2015). In relation to Lake Victoria, it is already known that social relationships are critical for accessing employment, buying fish and facilitating the movement of fishers between landing sites in search of better fish stocks and prices (Nunan, Hara, and Onyango 2015), that there is a gendered division of labour (Pearson et al 2013) and social networks may be centred on gear and ethnicity (Beuving 2015). This article builds on this evidence to generate detailed pictures of occupation-specific networks and evidence from across many landing sites, rather than studying one landing site in detail, as previous studies have done (for example, Beuving 2015;Etiengi, Irvine, and Kooy 2016;Pearson et al 2013).…”