

Economics and Business
Quarterly Reviews
ISSN 2775-9237 (Online)







Published: 16 February 2025
“Yes, they are Important, But Being Trapped in Debt to Loan Sharks, Kills them from Within": A Narrative Analysis of the Exclusion of Women Fishmongers in Fishing Communities
Lucy Max, Ismi Dwi Astuti Nurhaeni, Prahastiwi Utari, Ign. Agung Satyawan
University of Sebelas Maret Surakarta, Indonesia

Download Full-Text Pdf

10.31014/aior.1992.08.01.649
Pages: 36-46
Keywords: Women Fishmongers, Loan Sharks, Community Roles, Family Finance, Human Resources
Abstract
The ability to manage family finances, especially controlling debts, is the main issue that hampers the economy of fishing families. This article aims to construct the situation behind women fishmongers' choice to borrow money from moneylenders. It also involves exploring the role of community presence in overcoming dependence on high-interest loans. Qualitative research was conducted in Lewoleba town, involving women fishmongers, their husbands, and capital owners. Data was collected through in-depth interviews, observation, and utilization of local online media news. In the narrative analysis, this study found that the orientation of maintaining the trust of capital owners, as well as a lack of understanding of managing family finances, are the main reasons why women fishmongers make repeated loans to moneylenders. As a result, they remain economically disadvantaged. On the other hand, the community lost its role in creating a collective sense of care, which became the beginning of rampant illegal loans. This happens as the orientation of social interaction changes, where the community's role to create a common concern - the welfare of members - turns into an impersonal relationship that distances itself from each other - by making the act of borrowing money from a moneylender an individual right and family privacy. Empowerment program planners can begin considering
References
Alosias, J. (2019). A pilot survey on retail fish marketing in Juba, South Sudan: Perceptions on motivation and challenges. African Journal of Tropical Agriculture, 7(12), 001-011.
Arns, E., & Strauhs, F. (2022). Knowledge construction in the community of fishing women in the region of Guaraquecaba-PR. Liinc em Revista, 18(1), 1-23. doi:10.18617/liinc.v18i1.5876
Ashwathy, P., & Kalpana, K. (2018). Women's work, survival strategies and capitalist modernization in South Indian small-scale fisheries: The case of Kerala. Gender, Tecnology and Development, 22(3), 2015-221. doi:10.1080/09718524.2019.1576096
Ayanboye, A. O., Oluwafemi, Z., & Rafiu, R. (2015). Fresh fish (Clarias Gariepinus) marketing system in major town of Ibarapa, Oyo State, Nigeria. International Journal of Applied Agricultural and Apicultural Research, 11(1&2), 162-171.
Banks, M., Marston, G., Russell, R., & Karger, H. (2014). In a Perfect World it would be Great if they didn't Exist: How Australians Experience Pay day Loan. International Journal of Social Welfare, 24(1), 37-47. doi: 10.1111/ijsw.12083
Beninger, S., & Francis, J. (2022). Resources for business resilience in a Covid-19 world: A community approach. Business Horizons, (2022)(65), 227-238. doi:10.1016/j.bushor.2021.02.048
Cardona, A., Soto, L., & Miranda, M. (2021). Urban happiness from mobility in neighborhoods and downtown: The case of the metropolitan area of Abbura Valley. Journal of Economic and Businness, 4(1), 1-11. doi:10.31014/aior.1992.04.01.318
Cezar, L. S., & Theis, R. (2020). To be or not to be an artisanal fisherwoman? Female work, recoqnition and social representation among shellfish collectors in the Campos Basin, RJ. Rev. Antropol, 63(3). doi:10.11606/2179-0892.ra.2020.178848
Cocjin, J. C. (2021). The Social Construction of Reality Among Professional Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in Thailand. Asian Journal of Research in Business and Management, 3(3), 170-185
Danso-Wiredu, E. Y. (2018). Gendered dynamics and reciprocity in fishing communities in Ghana: The case of Penkey, Winneba. Journal of Black Studies, 49(1), 53-70. doi:10.1177/0021934717736185
D'Souza, S. (2020). Unmasking the silent role fisherwoman play inthe small-scale fisheries local value chain in India. International Institute of Social Studies.
Ewubare, D., & Mark, T. (2018). Human capital development and poverty reduction in Nigeria. Journal of Economics and Business, 1(2), 150-163. doi:10.31014/aior.1992.01.02.13
Gissi, E., Portman, M., & Hornidge, A. (2018). Un-gendering the ocean: Why woman matter in ocean governance for sustainability. Marine Policy, 94((2018)), 215-219. doi:10.1016/marpol.2018.05-020
Guba, E., & Lincoln, Y. (2009). Competing paradigms in qualitative research. In N. Denzin, & Y. Lincoln, Handbook of Qualitative Research. Bahasa Indonesia Edition (pp. 129-145). Pustaka Pelajar.
Gunakar, S., & Bhatta, R. (2016). Socioeconomics status of fisher-women in segmented fish market of coastal Karnataka. Agricultural Economics Research Review, 29(2), 253-266. doi:10.5958/0974-0279.2016.00052.5
Haque, E. C., Idrobo, C. J., Berkes, F., & Giesbrecht, D. (2015). Small-scale fishers' adaptations to change: The role of formal and informal credit in Paraty, Brazil. Marine Policy, 51((Jan 2015)), 401-407. doi:10.1016/J.marpol.2014.10.002
Hauser, M., Dearden, P., & Murray, G. (2013). The fisherwoman of Ngazidja Islands, Commoros: Fisheries livehoods, impacts and implications for management. Fisheries Research, 14 (2013), 28-35. doi:10.1016/j.fishres.2012.12.001
Kalwij, A., Allesie, R., & al, e. (2019). The effect of financial education on financial literacy and savings behavior: Evidence from a controlled field experiment in Dutch primary schools. The Journal of Consumer Affairs, 53(3), 699-730. doi:10.1111/joca.12241
Kariuki, J., Wandiga, E., & Odiyo, W. (2022). An empirical survey of the relationship and staff retention in the context of microfinance institution in Kenya. Economic and Business Quarterly Reviews, 5(2), 51-69. doi:10.31014/aior.1992.05.02.413
Kashima, Y. (2014). Meaning, Grounding and the Construction of Social Reality. Asian Journal of Social Psychology, 17(2), 81-95. doi:10.1111/ajsp.12051
Kebelen, P. L. (2022, February 23). InBisnis. Retrieved December 20, 2023, from https://inbisnis.id
Kizito, P., Kimani, E., & Lodiaga, M. (2017). Ventures within fisheries value chain that men and women participate in Nairobi City County, Kenya. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 4(8), 32-41. doi:10.14738/assrj.48.3022.
Kleiber, D., Harris, L., & Vincent, A. (2014). Improving fisheries estimates by including women's catch in the central Philippines. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 71(5), 656-664. doi:10.1139/cjfas-2013-0177
Koku, P. S., & Jagpal, S. (2015). Do payday loans help the working poor? International Journal of Bank Marketing, 33(5), 592-604. doi:10.1108/IJBM-11-2014-0164
Koralagama, D., Gupta, J., & Pouw, N. (2017). Inclusive development from a gender perspective in small-scale fisheries. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 2017(24), 1-6. doi:10.1016/J.Cosust.2016.09.002
Lokuge, G., & Hilhorst, D. (2017). Outside the net: Intersectionality and inequality in the fisheries of Trincomalee, Sri Lanka. Asian Journal of Women's Studies, 23(4), 473-497. doi:10.1080/12259276.2017.1386839
Lwenya, C., & Ernest, Y. (2012). The fisherman's wife: Vulnerabilities and strategies in the local economy. The case of Victoria, Kenya. Signs, 37(3), 566-573. doi:10.1086/662703
Marshall, C., & Rooosman, G. (2016). Designing Qualitative Research. Sixth Edition. Sage Publications.
Meetei, W. T., Saha, B., & Pal, P. (2016). Participation of women in fisheries: A study on gender issues in Manipur, India. International Journal of Bio-resource ang Stress Management, 7(4), 905-913. doi:10.5958/0976-4038.2016.00145.7
Neumann, W. L. (2014). Person New International Edition. Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches. Pearson.
OJK, A. k. (2020, August 5). Publikasi. Retrieved July 11, 2023, from OJK Web site: https://ojk.go.id
Oloko, A., Fakoya, K., & Harper, S. (2022). The challenges and prospects of women fisherfolk in Makoko, Lagos State, Nigeria. Coastal Management, 50(2), 124-141. doi:10.1080/08920753.2022.2022969
Pomeroy, R., Arango, C., Lomboy, C., & Box, S. (2020). Financial inclusion to build economic resilience in small-scale fisheries. Marine Policy, 118((2020)), 1-9. doi:10.1016/J.marpol.2020.1039882
Rahim, A., & Rossali, W. (2021). Factors affecting household income in the post-empowerment of small-scale fishermen wives. IOP. Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science. 828, pp. 1-6. IOP Publishing. doi:10.1088/1755-1315/828/1/012049
Rapaport, C., & Lurie, T. H. (2018). The relationship between community type and community resilience. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 31((2018)), 470-477. doi:10.1016/j.ijdrr.2018.05.020
Salmi, P., & Sonck-Rautio, K. (2018). Invisible Work, Ignored Knowledge? Changing Gender Roles, Division of Labour and household Strategies in finnish small-scale fisheries. Maritim Studies, 1-9. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s40152-018-0104-x
Schwandt, T., & Gates, E. (2018). Case study methodology. In N. Denzin, & Y. Lincoln, The Sage Publication of Qualitative Research. Fifth Edition (pp. 600-630). Sage Pub.
Szymkowiak, M. (2020). Genderizing Fisheries: Assesing over Thirty Years of Women's Participation in Alaska Fisheries. Marine Policy, 1-13. doi:10.1016/j.marpol.2020.103846
Tracy, K. (2009). Community. In S. W. Littlejohn, & K. Foss, Encyclopedia of Communication Theory (pp. 143-147). Sage Pub.
Tracy, S. (2013). Qualitative Research Methods, Collecting Evidence, Crafting Analysis, Communicating Impact. Wiley-Blackwell.
Vitukawalu, B. e. (2020). Addresing barries and constrsints to gender equality and social inclusion of women seafood sellers in Municipal markets in Fiji. Research Gate. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/339842830
Yumriani, Tahir, H., & Idris, R. (2016). Women wage-earners in Bone Regency Indonesia. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 7(4), 540-544. doi:10.5901/mjss.2016.v7n4p