Women, work, and water

Caruso, Bethany A.; Chipungu, Jenala; Kulkarni, Seema; Ray, Isha

doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(23)00572-x

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Socio-ecological justice is based on a recognition of the relational ontology of human life and the non-human world, which is directly influenced from indigenous worldviews, expanding who and what is included in our collective care endeavors, which has been the focus of some of our reflections to date. We argue that western ontologies and indigenous ontologies are not mutually exclusive, but exist as multiplicities within their own relational context, with implications for how we understand care and who does "water work" (see Caruso et al, 2023). These multiplicities also need to be considered in how we approach international partnerships to tackle global challenges, and influence how we have worked as a Hub.…”

Section: Collaboration and Partnerships In The Hubmentioning

confidence: 99%

Why a feminist ethics of care and socio-ecological justice lens matter for global, interdisciplinary research on water security

Narayanaswamy,

Ferritto,

Hillesland

et al. 2023

Front. Hum. Dyn.

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In this conceptual analysis, we set out some of the negotiations and tensions that emerge when we try to build a shared understanding of water (in)security through the dual lenses of a feminist ethics of care and socio-ecological justice. We further reflect on how these theoretical lenses shape our work in practice—how do we actualise them in an international, interdisciplinary partnership? We actively seek to engage all our colleagues in how we understand the function of power and inequality in relation to the distribution of water resources and the ways in which intersectional inequalities shape access to, and availability of, water. We conclude that our international partnership will only add value to our understanding of water (in)security if we are able to identify not just how intersectional inequalities circumscribe differential access to water itself in a range of diverse contexts, but the ways socio-ecological justice and a feminist ethics of care are understood and in turn shape how we work together to achieve greater water security across diverse contexts.

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Section: Collaboration and Partnerships In The Hubmentioning

confidence: 99%

Why a feminist ethics of care and socio-ecological justice lens matter for global, interdisciplinary research on water security

Narayanaswamy,

Ferritto,

Hillesland

et al. 2023

Front. Hum. Dyn.

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“…Several studies (Kulkarni, 2015;Liebrand, 2014;Saciwaters, 2011;Zwarteveen, 2009) have shown that the water sector, particularly in South Asia, has been heavily dominated by men, particularly when it comes to "paid, professionalised, and respected" positions (Caruso et al, 2023(Caruso et al, : 1140. This is attributed to several factors: the perceived masculine nature of the water sector, where the water sector is equated with civil engineering and hydraulics seen to be the prerogative of men; the absence of gender-sensitive infrastructure and the socio-cultural norms that constrain women from taking a field job.…”

Section: Gendering the Water Sectormentioning

confidence: 99%

Glass half empty or half full? Gender in integrated water resource management in South Asia

Narain,

Goodrich

2024

World Water Policy

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This paper reviews the experience with gender mainstreaming in the water sector in South Asia. It analyzes the reasons for the limited impact of these efforts. These are located in the limited understanding and consequent operationalization of the concept of gender itself. Rather than equating the word gender with women, it needs to be understood to refer to the social and power differences between men and women and the differences within women. Gender needs to be approached in policy and practice through a lens of intersectionality. Reserving seats for women in local patriarchal structures of decision making does little to alter the status quo; securing women's participation in water management activities without altering power relations between water users and service providers only creates additional work burdens for them. The changing nature of water resources education in the region means that water problems shall be seen differently in the future and that there will be more women in this sector. There is a need to develop curricula based on ways of theorizing about gender and water in different agro‐ecological and institutional settings embedded in the unique context of South Asia.

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“…[9][10][11][12][13] While these activities may produce improvements in overall health, they can demand women's time and energy, limit opportunities 14 and result in risks to their own health and safety. 4,15 Further, they have the potential to perpetuate gender inequity. 16 Whilst these unpaid burdens and norms have been acknowledged, they also have been exploited by research and practice initiatives, 15 as women are often intentionally targeted by those delivering WASH programs as key instruments for their success.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…4,15 Further, they have the potential to perpetuate gender inequity. 16 Whilst these unpaid burdens and norms have been acknowledged, they also have been exploited by research and practice initiatives, 15 as women are often intentionally targeted by those delivering WASH programs as key instruments for their success. Women have been trained to carry out water treatment, safe child feces management, and hand hygiene promotion.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Women in research: A systematic re-review of WASH interventions to prevent diarrhea and acute respiratory infection in low and middle-income countries

Caruso,

Ballard,

Sobolik

et al. 2023

Preprint

Self Cite

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Water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions significantly reduce health risks in low- and middle-income countries. Many rely on women for their success but the extent of women’s engagement remains unclear. We conducted a re-review of papers from two systematic reviews that assessed effectiveness of water, sanitation, and/or handwashing with soap interventions on diarrheal disease and acute respiratory infections to assess women’s roles in WASH research and intervention activities (PROSPERO registration: CRD42022346360). 133 studies were included. Among studies that specified gender, women were the most targeted group for engagement in research (n = 91/132; 68.9%) and intervention (n = 49/120; 40.8%) activities. Reporting time burden for research (n = 1; 1%) and intervention activities (n = 3; 2.5%) was rare. All interventions were classified as gender-unequal (36.7%) or gender-blind (63.3%) according to the WHO Gender Responsiveness Assessment Scale, indicating exploitative engagement. Women play a critical but instrumental role in advancing WASH, which requires change to enable, not hinder, gender equality.

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Women, work, and water

Cited by 4 publications

References 12 publications

Why a feminist ethics of care and socio-ecological justice lens matter for global, interdisciplinary research on water security

Why a feminist ethics of care and socio-ecological justice lens matter for global, interdisciplinary research on water security

Glass half empty or half full? Gender in integrated water resource management in South Asia

Women in research: A systematic re-review of WASH interventions to prevent diarrhea and acute respiratory infection in low and middle-income countries

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