It was on the southern-west coast of Maharashtra where I first met Purva Mausi, a fisherwoman from Varovare Village. This coastal village is known for its beautiful Varoavare coast of Konkan belt which is popular with tourists, as well as its supply of squids. Although she has been fishing for many years, Zabina has never wavered in facing the waves at the edge of Varovare beach in search of fishes. It is rare to see fisherwomen in Ratnagiri, but it was at Varovare Village where I first saw Purva. She pushed a small boat towards the sea to start her quest in search of the life-giving fish these waters offer.
In Malgund Village, not far from Varovare Village, I remembered seeing several women sitting and grilling some fish on the shore near a traditional port while waiting for the fishermen to dock. Not long after, upon seeing a boat with two fishermen approaching, the women rushed towards the boat.
They pulled and anchored it on the beach. The women were given some large head hair tail fish for helping the fisherman secure the boat, whilst several other women took more fish to be sold in the village. A fisherman noticed me observing this routine and said, “In this village, we forbid women to fish. Our wives and children don’t do things like that because it is a job that humiliates women and undermines the role of men as breadwinners.”
Such a view is common in rural and urban communities in Indonesia, where there is strong gender segregation in the occupational roles of men and women. In this historically patriarchal society, women’s roles are largely confined to the domestic sphere with responsibilities like childcare and household chores. Despite women’s contribution in processing and selling catches, fisheries work that generates an income is almost exclusively linked to men. This has severe consequences for women and undermines their authority in household decision making. Often, patriarchal structures subconsciously thrive within the community and are considered natural. This suggests that women’s subordination is not caused only by men’s oppression of women per se; instead, it is constructed and instilled in a social system that has transcended into cultural values.
Back in early September, on the day I visited Varovare Village, we met with the community and fishers at the village office. In collaboration with Fishery College a college hosted training session on fish catching record method.
Purva, who sat among us, is known for being a skillful and tough fisherwoman in the village. A mother of seven, this 52 year old fisher is a woman of experience with extensive knowledge of the sea and fishes.
She chose to become a fisherwomen after her husband had an accident which caused injuries that have prevented him from fishing ever since. Purva has now taken on the role as the primary breadwinner to provide for her family. She expressed that fishing and hunting squid, fishes is a fun job, and that it helps her to send her children to school and university.
Purva story about the sea, squid and fishes, and life demonstrates her unique ability to become skilled and capable in every job she commits to. She has developed this dedication from the day she learned to be an octopus fisherwomen, to becoming the wife of a fisherman, to mothering seven daughters and finally, taking on the role as the head of her family after her husband’s accident. Despite her position as a woman in a male-dominated society, Purva has overcome the prejudices she faces and finds strength in her natural talent as an squid fisherwoman.
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