Supporting the role of women in fisheries and enhancing their participation in decision-making processes have been key concerns of ICSF since its inception. The Women in Fisheries (WIF) programme, initiated in 1993, has been instrumental in highlighting and valorizing -- through workshops, country programmes, publications and studies -- the vital role that women play in fisheries and fishing communities in the South.

The WIF programme is not a "women's" programme. The programme has evolved a feminist perspective on fisheries that connects with the larger feminist critique of development. It critiques development models that benefit the few at the expense of the majority (particularly poor women); increase the vulnerability of local communities and destroy their means of livelihood; and undervalue and overexploit natural resources. Apart from highlighting women's marginalization, this perspective also stresses that production of life -- usually called reproduction -- should be brought into the reckoning and be valued, as it provides the base for extended production and cannot be separated from it.

Specific programmes undertaken through WIF have included country programmes, workshops, conferences and publications, including Yemaya, ICSF 's newsletter on gender and fisheries.