Fisherwomen's Perception on the Constraints Hampering their Empowerment and Development: A Case Study of the Self Help Groups of Thoothukudi District, Tamil Nadu

摘要

Marine fisheries constitute a valuable source of food and employment, and a net contributor to the nation's balance of payment. The fisherwomen have been facing several constraints of technical, financial, organizational and policy realms, which affectstheir social and economic empowerment. In this regard, around 40 fisherwomen from Self Help Groups (SHGs) of Tharuvaikulam fishing village in Thoothukudi district (Tamil Nadu) was selected randomly for data collection. The fisherwomen were asked to rankthe constraints according to their perception of importance. Garrett Ranking Technique was used to analyze the constraints in order to find out the most significant factor which influences the respondent. This technique helps to precisely rank the preference of the respondents on different factors. Of the seven production constraints, high cost of inputs including finfish and shellfish was ranked foremost. Of the five financial constraints, lack of funds for starting and running the business activitieswas the major constraint. Among the five constraints that influenced cohesion of the SHGs, the respondents opined that lack of leadership and guidance affected the performance of the SHGs. Lack of marketing skills was the single most important marketingconstraint. With regard to performance constraints, lesser profits brought down their performance. Further, lack of contact between producer and consumer was identified as the most important constraint, among six extension constraints, that affected market access. Among the seven entrepreneurship constraints, lack of lateralthinking and innovation denied them success in their business.