Enhancing Gender Equity Through Women's Participation in Small-Scale Fish Farming Activity

This study seeks to evaluate the extent of rural women's participation in small-scale fish farming activities, to examine the relationship between specific characteristics and their level of participation, to identify the influential factors, and to identify the problems they encountered. The research was conducted in Muktagachha sub-district of Mymensingh district. A total of 214 respondents were surveyed, with 107 (50%) of the rural women selected as the study sample from June to July 2022 using a structured interview schedule. The focus variable, "Participation of rural women in small-scale fish farming activities," was measured using a 4-point rating scale with responses like high, medium, low, and not at all, with scores of 3, 2, 1, and 0, respectively. A significant proportion (62.6%) of rural women had low levels of participation in small-scale fish farming activities. Results from the Pearson product-moment correlation indicated experience in fish culture, exposure to extension media, and knowledge of small-scale fish farming showed a significantly positive relationship with participation. Experience in fish culture and exposure to extension media were found to be influential variables that could have a significant influence on women's participation, explaining 16.2% of total variations. Additionally, more than half (52.2%) of rural women faced moderate challenges when engaging in small-scale fish farming. The Department of Fisheries (DoF) and other relevant organizations should dedicate extra resources and financing to develop motivational initiatives to increase rural women's passion for small-scale fish farming to resolve gender disparities.