Unveiling the Hidden Engine: Evaluating the Impact of Women's Participation in Small-Scale Fisheries Industries in Indonesia

Women's involvement in small-scale fisheries (SSF) is often considered crucial. However, their contribution to household welfare in Indonesia has not been quantitatively measured. This study aims to fill this gap by analyzing the impact of women's participation on income, production, and food security. Using the Propensity Score Matching (PSM) method on data from 204 fishing households, this study compares industrial households with women's involvement as the treatment group and those without it as the control group. The results show that women's involvement significantly increases weekly income by IDR 141,156, increases production volume by 10.56 kg, and increases the probability of food security by 24.9%. The main drivers of women's participation are the household's economic dependence on SSF and membership in a fisher organization. This study concludes that women's empowerment is a vital strategy for enhancing the economic welfare and resilience of coastal communities, thereby advocating for gender-inclusive fisheries policies.