gender roles — World News, Travel and Social Action

In a small fishing village on the shores of Lake Victoria, women are breaking the gender roles that dominate the area. A cooperative called No Sex For Fish brings women together to source fish for themselves, without trading their bodies.

A woman carrying a bucket by her boat in Lake Victoria. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

“No Sex For Fish” is a bold name. It summarizes what the women of Nyamare have fought for. In the villages along Lake Victoria in Kenya, the fishing industry is split by gender: men do the fishing, women do the selling. Due to overfishing and environmental issues, the lake’s fish population ran low in the 1970s and the fisherman couldn’t catch enough product to supply all of the women.

In a practice the locals refer to as “jaboya,” the men offered the women a trade-off: sex for fish. The women were left without a choice. For many, their families depend on the money they earn from selling fish. To sustain their loved ones and send their children to school, the women complied. After almost 40 years of this routine, the “jaboya” practice went from exploitative to dangerous. Studies have estimated the prevalence of HIV fishing communities around Lake Victoria to be between 21 and 30 percent.

Due to the lack of economic opportunities in the area, the women of Nyamare found themselves in a situation familiar to women across the globe: a position of powerlessness in a system controlled by men. Then in 2011, a woman named Justine Adhiambo Obura led the No Sex For Fish cooperative. The women obtained 30 boats through grants from PEPFAR, USAID and the World Connect charity.

In a testimonial to the World Connect Charity, Justine said, “We are very thankful for this program; it has allowed us to become businesswomen and to control our own finances. The men have to ask us for the money. Though the business has many challenges, we keep working.” With access to their own boats, the women hired men to fish for them. Alice Akinyi Amonde told NPR she’d earn about 50 dollars a day when things were going well, but now she’s lucky if she makes 3 dollars.

In March 2020, after months of heavy rain, the water levels in Lake Victoria climbed to the highest degree in decades. The floods swamped farmland, engulfed homes and displaced thousands of people. Unfortunately, this timing coincided with the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, and economic activity was put at a standstill. With no homes, no boats and no farmland, the community has been left in limbo.

The organized fishing trade that once supported the families along Lake Victoria’s shore has collapsed. In interviews with NPR in September 2020, the women from No Sex For Fish said that they worry that, even if fishing were to become possible again, the practice of trading sex would re-emerge due to the difficulty imposed by the weed-clogged lake. They also said that, while they want to go back to the trade, they’ll need financial support.

Ruth Odinga, the Kisumu County director of special programs, told NPR that “when such tragedies occur, the government only assists to save lives and not to make life comfortable for them.” With minimal assistance from the government, these women are looking for other ways to earn a living. Despite the challenges they’ve faced, the women of Nyamare are still hopeful for the future.

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Claire is a freelance journalist from Chicago, where she received her Bachelor’s of Communications from the University of Illinois. While living and studying in Paris, Claire wrote for the magazine, Toute La Culture. As a freelancer she contributes to travel guides for the up and coming brand, Thalby. She plans to take her skills to London, where she’ll pursue her Master’s of Arts and Lifestyle Journalism at the University of Arts, London College of Communication.

Thailand is a country known for its beautiful landscape, beaches and ornate Buddhist temples. Its largest exports include technology such as computers and automobiles, and it is also the world’s largest producer of rubber and second largest of rice and sugar. People from all around the world come to visit the cities and experience the cuisine and culture that Thailand offers. However, beyond city life, the rural parts of Thailand are like a whole different country.

Outside of the big cities, rural Thailand takes up most of the country while holding many of the historical pieces of Thailand. Villages and towns such as Kanchanaburi are found near the border with Myanmar and are surrounded by mountains. Sitting right next to the River Kwai, it houses the “Bridge on the River Kwai,” the Death Railway, wartime cemeteries and museums. In Thailand’s northeastern village of Ban Na Ton Chan, people make textile fabrics to sell by softening them with mud and boiling them in salt water to produce soft and naturally dyed textiles. You may have heard of Chiang Mai - the largest city in northern Thailand - but just an hour north is Mae Kampong, a beautiful village nestled within a bright green forest with jungles nearby. Finally, if you go further south, you’ll find Baan Bang Plub, where they harvest and cultivate coconuts to sell and are quick to teach the curious traveler about it. In short, going into the north of Thailand you are sure to find mountains, wartime villages and rivers that flow with historic importance. If you’re looking to find a more quaint village, going further south you will find more waterfront villages with basket weaving, boats, jungles and lush forests.

Regardless, if you’re looking to master the skill of basket weaving or hope to visit wartime museums, rural Thailand offers a completely different experience than any city in the country. Here are some facts you should know before visiting.

Lost Tourists Find Unmatched Hospitality

Thai farmer. Eric Bagchus. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Visitors traveling to see the landscape of foreign countries often find themselves lost with no signal, no travel plans and no surefire way to communicate with locals. However, in Thailand the local farmers are known for being incredibly hospitable. Often, many take in lost travelers, give them food and a place to rest and help them on their way. Chittiya, a native Thai who immigrated to the United States, stated, “they’re the nicest people you’ll ever meet. You never have to worry about getting lost because there will always be someone to help you along the way and make sure you have food and water to get there.” Ultimately, if you find yourself lost along the way and pass through a village, ask someone for help and they will most likely go out of their way to help you or find someone who can.

Rural Villages: The Simple Life

Chiang Mai harvest. Ol’ Pete. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

When moving from the large, bustling cities to the villages in rural Thailand, one might feel as though they’ve entered a completely different country – or even moment in time. Many in the villages like to hold to the old, simple way of life that was prevalent before Thailand’s industrial development truly took off. Farmers are dependent on the turn of the seasons, growing their own crops and raising their own animals, hoping to sell them at local markets and in the cities. During the off-season, most young people travel into the city for temporary labor work until the monsoons end. They then head back to join the family farm and help tend to the animals and crops and the cycle continues.

Men’s Duty to Give Back

Thai monks. Carl Parkes. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

More traditional Thais observe Buddhism and spend their lives trying to live well and do good according to their religion. Many men believe it is their duty to help pave the way for their parents and ancestors to reach nirvana or have a better life after their reincarnation. Furthermore, it is not uncommon for young men to feel obligated to spend around three to four months at a monastery to truly understand their duty, and what their purpose is. These men spend a lot of time praying, giving up worldly material things and staying celibate during this period.

The Negative Impact from Technology

On the road in rural Thailand. Lee Craker. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Finally, the impact of technology has started to create negative consequences for farmers. When living the simple rural life, materialism is not prevalent. However, now with developing technology, views such as “everyone needs to have a car” are common and many have become more materialistic. Problems with debt have been on the rise as farmers lack credit but still want to buy more – even though their current lifestyle cannot support it. A lot of cars get repossessed or taken back when the period to pay them back passes. In the old days, rice farmers kept some to feed their families and sold the rest of the rice to buy what they could not produce themselves. However, nowadays everyone wants cars and gadgets even when they do not need them. The problem is that the nature of their livelihood depends on unreliable seasons that mean they cannot always pay back their debt. Additionally, in today’s age many young people have lost interest in continuing the family farms. Most grow up and move into the cities and work corporate jobs, leaving their families to take care of the farms themselves or ultimately selling them.

Thailand is a beautiful place to visit, and the culture that hides in the rural, more obscure countryside is almost an entirely different one from the cities. In the past and even into the present there has been tension between city people and village people, and many crimes or issues that take place are usually one side pitted against the other. Taking the time to understand both the city people and farmers is important in getting a full picture of Thai culture.