The Dried Fish Matters (DFM) project is pleased to share a new Master’s thesis by Aklima Akter – DFM Master’s student at the University of Manitoba. Aklima’s thesis focuses on the gender dynamics within the dried fish value chains of Teknaf, Bangladesh. This research highlights the dual role of women as economic contributors and victims of patriarchal exploitation. Women work long hours in processing sites, facing financial exploitation, unequal treatment, and social stigma. Additionally, patriarchal control over their mobility and exclusion from fishing-related policies perpetuates their marginalization in the industry.
Despite these challenges, the thesis also shows how women actively resist these patriarchal constraints. Through strategies such as forming unofficial associations and using symbolic acts like clothing choices and housing locations, female laborers negotiate for better conditions and challenge the systems of oppression they face. These everyday engagements reveal the evolving ways women assert their agency within the dried fish value chains of Teknaf.
The full thesis is available here.
DFM’s ongoing research in South and Southeast Asia highlights the critical importance of considering context, particularly in relation to women’s roles within the dried fish value chains. Aklima’s thesis enriches the growing body of literature contributed by DFM scholars, students, and researchers.