Water, Gender and Development

This series of blogs have taken me and you, on a journey of diving deeper into the links between water, women and development. Equitable access to water is key for women to realise their potential in almost all aspects of their lives. From menstruation, to farming, education and being able to live in dignity and safety, these different aspects of life are all controlled and centred around one thing: water. These blogs have highlighted and examined the different ways in which water access is undeniably a key component of effective development for women.  One important thing that I have taken out of these blogs is that w omen must be recognised as stakeholders in their own right,  whether this be to water or any other resource, in order to be recognised as one of the pre-conditions for effective development. This recognition should occur at all levels: personal, household, community, national and international.  Women have potential to develop Choosing gender as a lens through which to

No Climate Justice without Gender Justice  As my blogging comes to a close, I realise that the overarching reason for many issues that women in Africa face are exacerbated by climate change. Africa as a whole is expected to warm by 3-4 degrees Celsius by the end of the 21st century. Climate impacts are becoming increasingly worse and more difficult to deal with and women and girls continue to bear the brunt. Climate related issues expose and worsen the vulnerabilities that women already face.  This is why I think it is fair to say that climate injustice is gendered injustice. Because it is women who are most affected by it. And it is also women who have historically and politically and culturally been most marginalised and exploited.  Climate justice is gender justice Knowledge and gender mainstreaming A study from the coastal regions of Ilaje, Nigeria found that impacts of climate change are felt unequally between men and women due to women's marginalisation from economic and po

Drylands are at risk and pose a threat to food security, water security and the survival of people .  For rural women, whose responsibilities and roles vary to men, these threats are much greater. Policies and programmes which aim to mitigate the effects of climate change on drylands often omit women's need and contribution to management of dryland resources. This blog will discuss a particular case study that actually succeeded in empowering women at the local level in the context of drylands.  Women walking on drylands What are drylands? Drylands are particularly difficult to live in due to aridity and variability in rainfall. These erratic patterns of rainfall are exacerbated by climate change, making it even more challenging to live, often associated with increased mortality.   This is why efficient water storage and use are key to surviving in drylands.  These areas, despite their harsh realities, s till can and continue to sustain people . It is the way that people have adapt

One of my previous blogs explored gender based violence and briefly touched upon a report by Amnesty International from a slum in Nairobi. This blog will look closer at the report and discuss some wider structural reasons why violence is so persistent in the slum, and how this affects development.  The wider view Violence against women occurs as a result of wider systemic issues that continue to disadvantage and disempower women in their lives. For women in the Nairobi slum, violence is endemic and keeps women impoverished and underdeveloped. Rates of violence are likely to be higher with women of low income. The violence women face in the slum is directly linked to their everyday routines, in particular access to sanitation. This results in feelings of insecurity and indignity haunting the everyday tasks of women. The study stated that all women interviewed experienced some sort of gender based violence in the slum . Proposed solutions to improve sanitation services often do not tak

As global water insecurity increases, good water governance is key in mitigating its effects. Effective water governance must incorporate multiple stakeholders to efficiently protect, allocate and share water resources between people and the environment . Women are deeply involved in daily decisions of water use for productive and reproductive work, therefore contribution of their knowledge and understanding can be key to effective water governance.  Women collecting water from water pump in Malawi It is important to distinguish the slight difference between water management and governance; management of water is something women do daily, based on gendered division of labour on a household level, however governance is about who holds the power to make decisions, who has the voice and means to impact water decision making. Therefore, it is crucial that women are involved in the governance of water, to tackle power imbalances and exclusion of women in decision making. This in turn is c

Inequitable access to safe water and sanitation can have detrimental effects on the safety and lives of women. Women’s reliance on water and sanitation is unfortunately, closely tied to gender-based violence (GBV). Gender based violence is a silent epidemic- victims of this are hesitant to reveal their experiences due to stigmas, lack of support or even lack of awareness, and acceptance of violence as part of everyday life. The problem is most prominent in areas of Sub-Saharan Africa where socioeconomic status, gender norms, education, climate and infrastructures all pose barriers to the safety and development of women. Gender violence and its link to sanitation  Gender-based violence can take place in both public or private spheres, but is almost always exacerbated by poor access to resources and poverty. It can take the shape of sexual violence, rape, harassment, sexploitation or even discrimination and psychological violence.  Forms of violence are often exacerbated at different sc

  A Ugandan study found that nearly two-third of schoolgirls in rural areas miss school at least once a month owing to menstruation. This statistic is simply shocking. Writing this blog as a woman, I  know first-hand the difficulty of menstruation, especially for young girls. The privilege of accessing menstruation products, support and the simple opportunity to talk about it with other people is something that I may have taken for granted.  For many girls, in particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa period poverty is an overwhelming issue for girls and women. Menstruation is natural process that all girls go through, yet it continues to burden the life of girls and women, impeding their development. This blog will explore the idea of period poverty- why it occurs and how this affects woman's lives. Girls holding sanitary pads Stigmatisation of periods  Menstruation is masked in ignorance and shame in many parts of the world, and in parts of Africa. Despite being a healthy natural part