Water scarcity is a global crisis that impacts billions of people across the world. However, the effects of this crisis are not evenly distributed. Among the most adversely affected are women, who bore most of the world’s water responsibilities. Water is highly gendered and for many years, women have played a basic yet overlooked role for water resource management at the domestic and community levels. However, this realization has not translated into viable and effective implementation strategies in order to empower women. If we are to build a more sustainable future, we must not only address the water crisis, but we also need to understand and confront its gender disparity.
Gender Disparity in Water Resource Management
Research has shown a clear connection between gender and water [^1^]. In many societies, especially in the least developed parts of the world, women are largely responsible for fetching household water. This is a taxing and time-consuming task that can have severe repercussions for women’s ability to access education, employment opportunities and time to participate in leisure activities.
Several studies have revealed that women in developing nations can travel an average distance of six kilometers [^2^] each day just to fetch water. This often results in lost opportunities for economic progression and education, especially for young girls who are denied a chance to go to school because they need to assist in fetching water for the family.
The Role of Women and Water
Although women are deeply involved in managing water resources within households, they are vastly underrepresented in decision-making processes regarding water management [^2^]. Women’s views, knowledge, and experiences about water and sanitation are ignored. This is a grave mistake because women, as the ones immersed in the details and struggles of water access and management on a daily basis, are likely to bring valuable insights and practical solutions to water management problems.
Involving women in water management can result in palpable improvements for entire communities. Women-led water management initiatives have seen remarkable success. These can range from a local cooperative set up to manage a community well, all the way up to female delegates being involved in international discussions about water security, conservation, and distribution.
Women and Sanitation: The Other Side of the Coin
Apart from the arduous task of fetching water, lack of sanitation is another issue that disproportionately affects women. Poor sanitation has been linked to higher rates of HIV, maternal mortality, and gender-based violence. Women face an increased risk of sexual assault when they do not have access to toilets within the safety of their homes and are forced to seek out communal facilities or even open spaces. Lack of proper sanitation facilities at schools is a major reason why girls drop out as they reach their teenage years.
Empowering Women: Key to Sustainable Water Management
Addressing the crisis of water scarcity is not possible unless we tackle its gender implications. By incorporating gender perspectives in policies and practices related to water and sanitation, a more equitable distribution of resources can be achieved.
Empowering women to take up leadership roles in water management decisions at the community, national, and global levels is key to sustainable water management. It is also crucial to integrate gender considerations into technical and vocational education and training (TVET) for water and sanitation, thus ensuring that women can fully contribute to and benefit from advancements in water technologies.
Conclusions
As we face a global water crisis, gender equality in water and sanitation should be recognized as a critical determinant of sustainable development. Women bear the brunt of the water crisis and bear a disproportionate share of the work and risk associated with water scarcity. Therefore, empowering women in the arena of water management is not only a matter of gender justice, but also an essential strategy for addressing our water challenges.
Finally, the collective global responsibility to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all, cannot be realized without incorporating a gender perspective in our approach. The interlinkage of water and gender is not merely a connection to be aware of; it represents an opportunity to empower women and create sustainable water solutions for the future.
[^1^]: UN Water. (2016). The United Nations World Water Development Report 2016: Water and Jobs. Paris, UNESCO.
[^2^]: World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) (2017). Progress on drinking water, sanitation and hygiene: 2017 update and SDG baselines. Geneva: World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 2017.