Gender participation in fisheries for sustainable livelihood in the coastal region of Ondo State, Nigeria

This study examined gender participation in fisheries and sustainable livelihood in the coastal areas of Ondo State, Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique was used to select the respondents and the study area. Data were collected from 100 fisher folks from Ilaje and Ese-Odo Local Government Areas (LGAs), using a well-structured questionnaire and interview schedule. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Kruskal Wallis test (KWt) was used to determine the level of livelihood diversification among the fisher folks. The most prominent roles of men in the study area are fishing both offshore and inshore (66%), boat owners (61%), and gear preparation (56%). On the other hand, the participation of women in fisheries is mostly sorting of fish caught (81%), salting for processing (79%), washing of fish and fishing gears (69%), and smoking (66%). Women also dominate fish distribution and marketing activities which include transporting of fish from home to the market place, display and bargaining. The result of the Kruskal Wallis test (KWt) revealed that the main occupation of the different groups is fishing, where the married class was the most predominant group. For gender, fishing remains the most engaged main occupation with more male than female at 0.01 level of significance. Key words: Sustainable Livelihood, Fisheries and Gender