Women & Freshwater

Roles, responsibilities and burdens of women regarding freshwater In developing countries, women are responsible for supplying freshwater for the household and agricultural activities of their families and communities, as a result of traditional gender roles. The impact of increasing freshwater scarcity has obliged women water carriers to travel longer distances and spend many hours waiting to fill their pail. In many cases, girls have to assist their mothers to fulfil their tasks. Since reproductive tasks go hand in hand with family health care, women also take the necessary environmental control measures to deal with water-borne diseases (e.g. boiling or chlorinating water). Women deal with utilising and conserving water resources on a daily basis and have considerable expertise and experience regarding water management. Despite this, in many cases, women are not in control nor participate in decision-making structures relating to water systems. Environmental policies and programmes in areas such as freshwater resources management have differential gender impacts. In addition, contaminated water has resulted in reproductive health problems including birth defects and lack of food for women and their families, particularly affecting poor women living in under-serviced urban areas