Conceptualisation and Assessment of Inequality in Small‐Scale Fisheries

Abstract

This review analyses 73 peer‐reviewed publications using a combined qualitative and quantitative approach to examine how inequality in small‐scale fisheries is conceptualised, which drivers are most frequently identified, how they manifest, and how proposed interventions address them. The literature shows some conceptual overlap among terms such as ‘inequality’, ‘inequity’, ‘unfairness’ or ‘injustice’, which may reflect both interdisciplinary diversity and the fact that inequality is often addressed indirectly through broader frameworks (e.g., poverty; governance). Social and regulatory dimensions of inequality—particularly sex/gender exclusion and policy implementation—were the most frequently studied, while technological, environmental and conservation‐related dimensions were addressed less frequently. Most studies focused on the extraction stage, with fewer addressing inequalities along downstream segments of the value chain. The results reveal that inequality drivers co‐occur in patterned configurations reflecting broader structural dynamics (e.g., the interplay between gender exclusion, market barriers and inequitable policy implementation in coastal fisheries) and intersectionality (e.g., indigenous women fishers facing simultaneous exclusion based on gender, ethnicity and lack of access to formal governance or financial systems). However, proposed interventions to address the problem seem insufficiently aligned with the specific drivers they aim to address. These patterns reflect the complexity of addressing inequality in SSF: while the issue is widely acknowledged, it is often approached through fragmented terms and disconnected responses. Making progress may require not more consensus, but more precision—in how inequality is described, situated and acted upon.