Unravelling gendered practices in the public water sector in Nepal

Shrestha, Gitta; Clément, Floriane

doi:10.2166/wp.2019.238

Cited by 30 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Despite the multifaceted nature of water management and gender inequality, development interventions tend to be limited and enacted in policy silos . For a more socially justified water management, develoment actions have to address at least three issues together: policy discourses, organizational components, and institutions of the implementing organizations (Shrestha & Clement, 2019). One such example related to the importance of enhancing organizational capacity and changing institutions is that the local government staff responsible for water management in the municipal area seemed unaware of the burden of water scarcity faced by women.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Policy texts too often miss to mention “women” at all in water management laws and regulations, with limited chances of consideration of women's interests while implementing these policies (Udas & Zwarteveen, 2010; Zwarteveen & Meinzen‐Dick, 2001). Even when there are decentralized policies with the provision of women's representation (which varies by country), what is lacking is a genuine engagement of women in the formulation and implementation of water sector policies (Shrestha & Clement, 2019; Shrestha et al., 2019). Earlier studies on gender and participation show that despite their presence in the decision‐making bodies, many women could not express themselves as they felt inhibited in expressing their views in front of village elders (men) due to lack of confidence (Meinzen‐Dick & Zwarteveen, 1998; Regmi & Fawcett, 1999; Satyal et al., 2020).…”

Section: Gender Inequality In Water and Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Gender inequality in urban water governance: Continuity and change in two towns of Nepal

Bhattarai¹,

Upadhyaya²,

Neupane³

et al. 2021

World Water Policy

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Gender‐based inequality has long been recognized as a challenge in water governance and urban development. Women do most of the water collection‐related tasks in the majority of low‐income country's urban areas, as they do in rural areas for drinking, household consumption, kitchen gardening, and farming. However, their voice is rarely heard in water governance. When climate change exacerbates water scarcity, it becomes harder for people to secure water with more pronounced effects on women. Drawing on the narratives of men and women involved in water management practices and also the views of the stakeholders who are part of water resource management in two towns in Nepal, this paper demonstrates emerging forms of gender inequality concerning access to and control over water resources, as well as associated services such as sanitation. We found that women's voice in water governance is systematically excluded, and such gender‐based disadvantage intersects with economic disadvantage as women in low‐income poor urban settlements are experiencing additional difficulty in accessing water and sanitation services. Gender inequity persists in the urban water sector, and of course the wider social structures, despite some progressive policy changes in recent years, such as the 30% quota reserved for women in local‐level water management bodies in Nepal. The paper concludes that tackling gender inequity in water management requires a transformative approach that seriously takes into account women's voice, critical awareness, and open deliberation over the causes and consequences of the current approaches and practices. Moreover, gender‐inclusive outcomes on water management are linked to changes in areas outside of the water sector, such as property ownership structures that constrain or enable women's access to water and related services.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Gender Inequality In Water and Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gender inequality in urban water governance: Continuity and change in two towns of Nepal

Bhattarai¹,

Upadhyaya²,

Neupane³

et al. 2021

World Water Policy

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“…Coupled with systemic discrimination in the labour market by Indian and local higher cast thekedars (labour contractors), the almost complete lack of Musahar participation in the tourist and conservation economy around CNP is not that surprising. Such socially differentiated stream of benefits by ethnicity and caste is not surprising in this context as women's empowerment programmes have also had uneven impacts because of local social geographies and patriarchy (Leder et al, 2017;Shrestha and Clement, 2019).…”

Section: Contested Conservation Waterscapes In Nepalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Scalar politics of Indigenous waterscapes in Navajo Nation and Nepal: Conflict, conservation and development

Mustafa

Nyaupane

Shrestha

et al. 2021

Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space

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We use case studies of the Diné in the United States of America, and the Musahar people in Nepal, to understand how indigeneity is enacted in relation to the developmental and conservationist impulses of the dominant American and Nepalese states. We mobilize the concept of ‘waterscapes’ as assemblages of practices, technologies, emotions and worldviews, to unpack how geographical scales are produced and contested through symbolic and material practices. We find that the Diné of the Navajo Nation have socially differentiated engagement with the techno-legal assemblages embedded in the US Western water law and the water development infrastructure, e.g. the Glen Canyon Dam, that enables the tourism economy. The Musahar people, much like the Diné, have been excluded from their customary livelihoods as global-scale conservation was enacted in their waterscapes through techno-legal assemblages including the Chitwan National Park and water development and conservation policies for the Narayani River. In both the United States and Nepal, centralized agencies of the US federal government and the Nepali state tend to perpetuate exclusionary geographies of access to water and Indigenous livelihoods in the waterscapes. The national and international scales, at times, violently constrict local-scale Indigenous spaces. But the oppositional symbolic and material practices, of both the Diné and the Musahar, destabilize the dominant ontologies on local waterscapes. This paper demonstrates that across vast distances of history, geography and wealth, indigeneity does not just get repressed or occluded by the dominant state but is instead constantly reimagined and re-enacted in creative ways by the Indigenous People themselves.

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“…The success of women's involvement has varied for many reasons, including inadequate project design, cultural and social constraints, as well as policy and legal constraints (Tennyson, 2002). Past watershed projects around the globe (Leder et al, 2017;Shrestha and Clement, 2019;Udas and Zwarteveen, 2010) revealed that gender issues have been a part of watershed management projects. However, the extent to which these issues were addressed has varied, and the recommended changes have not always been made.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Men are perceived to be responsible for production and management of farms or small businesses, even though women are very much involved in these enterprises. Despite women's significant role in water use and household management, women's needs and uses of water are often not represented in water resource management policies or projects (Varua et al, 2018;Leder et al, 2017Leder et al, , 2019Udas and Zwarteveen, 2010;Shrestha and Clement, 2019;Suhardiman et al, 2015).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Gender Transformative Impacts from Watershed Interventions: Insights from a Mixed-Methods Study in the Bundelkhand Region of India

Padmaja¹,

Kavitha²,

Pramanik³

et al. 2020

Transactions of the ASABE

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HighlightsSocial and technical interventions related to agriculture, watersheds, and capacity building should enhance women’s awareness, access, and decision-making role in agrarian communities.Strict gender norms and relations hinder the empowerment of women in the Bundelkhand region and prevent women from participating in the decision-making process at the household, farm, and community level.When implementing watershed projects in a highly patriarchal context, as in the Bundelkhand region, advocacy of behavioral change communication must be implemented, addressing the diverse needs of women and men.Strengthening of systematic and gender-sensitive institution building, social engagement, and capacity development for global water security is needed for sustainable watershed interventions.ABSTRACT. This study examined gender perspectives on water security by exploring an integrated water management approach for agriculture, livestock, and human consumption. The data were generated in a watershed project to enhance drought resilience of farming through groundwater recharge and agroforestry interventions in the water-scarce Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh in central India. Post-intervention, a quantitative survey and qualitative gender and social analysis tools were applied to understand the benefits of the interventions for women, men, and the community as a whole. Quantitative data were collected from 700 individuals in five villages (three treatment villages and two villages where watershed interventions were not implemented). In addition, 33 semi-structured interviews and eight focus group discussions were conducted to understand local gender norms at the project sites. Data analysis revealed that the community benefits accrued from the watershed interventions included increased crop productivity and diversification of agriculture and livelihoods. However, strict patriarchal norms restricted the visibility, mobility, and communication of women within the household and community during the interventions. Considering gender diversity, this study identifies that women can benefit from participating in watershed interventions and provides a deeper understanding of the constraints and barriers to women’s participation in such projects, including economic, social, and cultural factors. The construction of check dams reduced women’s time per day for fetching water by about 29%. Groundwater level increases reduced the effort required of women to draw water from open wells and hand pumps. Female education is a significant factor related to the benefits of watershed interventions, and regression analysis indicated that households with higher levels of education of adult women were significantly more likely to benefit from the interventions than other households. To avoid perpetuation of the exclusion of diverse local knowledge and gender inequality at the community level, mechanisms must be developed and adjusted continuously such that whole communities, including men and women, are empowered to participate in the decision-making process at various levels and for different purposes. When implementing watershed projects in a highly patriarchal context, as in the Bundelkhand region where women are hidden behind the strong presence of men, advocacy of behavioral change communication must be implemented regularly. The community needs to be sensitized toward systematic and gender-sensitive institution building, social engagement, and capacity development for local as well as global water security. Keywords: Bundelkhand region, Gender, Social norms, Transformative, Watershed intervention.

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Unravelling gendered practices in the public water sector in Nepal

Cited by 30 publications

References 33 publications

Gender inequality in urban water governance: Continuity and change in two towns of Nepal

Gender inequality in urban water governance: Continuity and change in two towns of Nepal

Scalar politics of Indigenous waterscapes in Navajo Nation and Nepal: Conflict, conservation and development

Gender Transformative Impacts from Watershed Interventions: Insights from a Mixed-Methods Study in the Bundelkhand Region of India

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