GENDER, FISHING, AND CITIZENSHIP

Abstract

This paper discusses the sexual division of labor of artisanal fishers in five Brazilian states, involving three regions of the country: North (Pará), South (Santa Catarina), and Northeast (Pernambuco, Ceará and Paraíba). The project was supported by four universities: UFRPE, UFSC, UFPA and UFBA. Data was collected in 2010 and 2011, employing participatory methodology. The women's stories showed critical issues related to their daily lives, such as: discriminationor invisibility of women in the fisheries' production chain, lackof knowledge of many fisherwomen on access to social rights in the family economy regime of artisanal fisheries, difficulties of access to positions of power within the Colonies and Associations of fishermen/women, risks and difficulties of access to the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), presence of middlemen and the need for fair trade.Keywords: Gender, fishing, citizenship.