Bajau Women as A Key Workforce in Artisanal Fishermen Family in Mengkabong Village, Tuaran, Sabah

Fishermen comprise mainly men engaged in fishing activities. Women are however involved mainly in grading tasks, packaging and processing of fish. This article attempts to show that the female Bajau in Kampung Mengkabong, Tuaran, Sabahis also engaged in fishing activities using traditional methods. They sell fish and other fishery products. More interestingly, they play a key role in the management and administration of family finances. This paper explains how they simultaneously perform fishing-related activities, marketing, managing family finances and subsequently saving. The Bajau community is commonly associated with fishing activities, and, consequently, living below the hardcore poverty line as portrayed by several studies. However, the findings of this study suggest otherwise. This study is based on a survey conducted on fifty Bajau women who are involved in various fishery activities, from production to marketing, in Tuaran, Sabah.