Introduction - water is a human right

This series of blogs will be exploring gender and water through the example of Africa. Where to start? As I began to explore one aspect of water, I would find myself discussing and drawing upon other elements and consequences such as the economy, infrastructure, and politics. Immediately, this shows how complex and interlinked water and gender will be.

This introductory post will clarify some questions: why Africa? Why gender? Why is water and its relationship to gender of importance?

Why gender and water?

In Zimbabwe, the Shona proverb ‘water is life’ is based on the idea that to deny water is to deny life.

Water in regard to access, quality and quantity, is a basic human right however for many this is seen as a privilege and aspiration. By simply googling 'water and gender' you are presented with over 7 billion results including the websites of different United Nations branches such as UNESCO, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN. International organisations have been actively involved in the process of facilitating, implementing, and raising awareness of the water problems across the world but particularly in Africa. So why do we need to have so many organisations work towards something that is a human right? It was this question that made me want to explore the issue of water in more detail.

Now that we have understood why the topic of water is so fundamental, it is important to introduce its relation to gender. It was only after reading 'Invisible Women' that I began to understand the extent to which there is a gender bias in data, irrespective of how developed a country is. Therefore, there is great importance in questioning who is being missed or silenced in different decision making and policy implementation. In the context of water, this means that policies are not conscious of the fact that the impacts of water scarcity are felt differently by different genders. Addressing the needs of females in relation to water, sanitation and hygiene allows for gender equity to be achieved. But why is this important? I would hope that all governments aim to have an equal society, but the reality is far from this. Countries may need an incentive or reason to change and invest. Development often plays this role and is measured through the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Goal 6 in particular is related to water and sanitation but goals 4 and 5 address gender and female empowerment. To some extent, these goals exist as a way of holding countries accountable and encouraging positive change. Although limited, the SDGs provide a framework for governments and organisations.

Why Africa?

Africa as a continent faces technological, political and infrastructural water challenges in terms of being able to extract and decontaminate water. It may be surprising to some to learn that Africa has a vast natural supply of water but issues with extraction, decontamination, distribution and use of water make this more complex. Development plays an important role in this continental issue as the lack of physical infrastructure and funding makes it harder to provide reliable and safe water to all citizens.

I am conscious of my positionality as a British female and it is something that readers should also bear in mind. Along with my positionality comes the pressure to avoid generalisations and assumptions regarding Africa. 'How to write about Africa' is a helpful blog that discusses what not to do. The sarcastic tone provides a humorous explanation to why we should be cautious, for example, ensuring that the continent is not generalised as Africa is not a country!

The truth is that not everything will be covered in this blog and that is ok, instead, I want to use this blog as a way to highlight the disparities between gender and water and give a voice to those who may be hidden in the process of development. This blog will set out the issues with water in different parts of Africa through the lens of gender. This will not disregard the challenges that males may face but I hope to echo that water challenges are not equally felt by males and females. This interplay between women’s access to water and participation in water governance will show that the basic right to water is not simply just about having access but also about it being equal and equitable.