Abstract
This study examined socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, the attribution of roles and opportunities in seaweed farming and the challenges faced by men and women farmers in Santa Fe, Romblon, Philippines. A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted among 104 registered seaweed farmers selected through gender-stratiDied random sampling (52 men and 52 women). Frequency counts and percentages described the attribution of roles and opportunities to men, women, or both. Two-sided exact binomial tests compared attributions between men and women after excluding responses categorized as both men and women. Mann–Whitney U tests then compared challenge domain scores between men and women. Men-only attribution was signiDicantly more frequent than women-only attribution for 11 of the 14 cultivation roles, 6 of the 8 processing roles, 8 of the 12 marketing roles and 33 of the 35 opportunity indicators (p<0.05). In contrast, challenge ratings did not differ signiDicantly by gender across the economic, environmental, social, or market domains (p=0.250–0.956; effect size r=0.006–0.113). The results indicate that respondents perceived unequal access to many productive and decision-making roles and opportunities, although several activities were viewed as shared. Gender-inclusive programs should expand women’s direct access to training, technology, Dinance, markets, leadership and the decisions that drive outcomes, while still addressing the environmental and economic challenges that affect seaweed producers and farmers.
Keywords: Coastal Livelihoods, Coastal Philippines, Gender Dynamics, Gender Roles, Seaweed Farming.