Adapting the WEAI to explore gender equity among Fishers, Processors, and sellers at Zambia’s Lake Bangweulu

•We used the novel WEFI (adapted from the WEAI) to investigate gender equity among men and women fishers, processors, and sellers at Zambia’s Lake Bangweulu.•We found significant differences across genders for education, household-level hunger, decision-making input into productive activities, asset ownership, access to extension, and community leadership.•Men reported significantly higher decision-making input into four key productive activities (fishing, processing, transporting, and selling fish), including those that were not their primary occupation (e.g., selling fish).•In contrast, although 46.6% of women reported selling fish as their primary occupation, 20.1% reported little/no decision-making input into this activity.