The gender and water development report 2003 : gender perspectives on policies in the water sector

This report investigates whether the rhetoric on gender mainstreaming that won favor in The Hague in 2000 has been translated into policy by governments and donors two years later. There are indications that governments have accepted the need for gender perspective. At the same time, there are misdirected responses; for example policies that increase women’s involvement at the expanse of also increasing their already oppressive workloads. But there is also more knowledge about the questions and about some of the answers, and more expertise and growing cooperation in addressing and solving the problems.

The analysis of four major water sectors presented in this report (environment, drinking water supply, sanitation and agriculture) provide strong arguments for the contentions that : 1) involving men and women in influential roles at all levels can hasten the achievement of sustainability in the management of scarce water resources, and 2) managing water in an integrated and sustainable way can contribute significantly to better gender equity, by improving the access of women and men to water and water-related services to meet their essential needs.

This report, being primarily concerned with the assessment of trends in gender mainstreaming at policy and national levels, has inevitably touched too on parallel desirable trends towards Integrated Water Resources Management. The analysis of the individual sector issues has reinforced belief that IRWM is a vital part of solving the water crisis, and that IWRM and gender mainstreaming can be mutually supportive in changing policies, legislation and institutions.