Crossing Gender Boundaries in the Water Sector: The Status of Women Water
Professionals in South Asia
Seminar held at the World Water Week, August 19, 2009, Room T6, 9:30– 12:30 pm
The lower percentage of women water professionals in South Asia is recognized as one of
the constraints for gender sensitive water resources management. At the same time,
there is very little understanding on women water professionals in water institutions at
the macro level. Most of this literature and work remains restricted to women’s
participation in community based water programmes. Similarly, most of the analysis
around women’s lack of participation at various levels in the water sector has remained
limited to socio-cultural constraints. There is very little understanding of how the
culture and historicity of each sector contributes to constraining women to participate
effectively. Little analysis is done on how democratic are the institutions and
organizations that influence policymaking and implementation at the macro level. It is in
this context that a study on women water professionals was undertaken in five South
Asian countries by Society for Promoting Participative Ecosystem Management
(SOPPECOM) and South Asia Consortium for Interdisciplinary Water Resources
Studies (SaciWATERs). The study was presented at the seminar organized at the World
Water Forum on August 19, 2009 at Stockholm.
Ms. Seema Kulkarni of SOPPECOM presented the main findings of the study ‘The Status
of Women Water Professionals in South Asia’. She presented two sets of issues that
determines women’s presence in the sector. First , the educational choices women make
and second, the major constraints that women face after entering the sector where the
struggle between the public and the private sphere becomes significant. Challenging the
notion that hard sciences are for men and soft disciplines for women therefore becomes
an important ideological struggle. At another level, a change in understanding of
women’s work too becomes important in changing our existing belief systems that
determine women’s absence in this sector. Re-conceptualizing science, here the water
sector and women’s work would definitely go a long way in making it more conducive to
gender equity. She discussed number of recommendations such as the need for a Gender
Policy in the Water Sector, increasing women water professions, providing basic
amenities and benefits to women, training and capacity building and networking
amongst women professionals as a way forward to overcome the problem.
The study presentation was followed by a presentation from the eminent panel members.
Dr. Deepa Joshi of Winrock International, USA emphasized that assessing the status of
WWP's in the water sector is only a small subset of all the issues that will enable
crossing the gender boundaries. Sharing her experience from Pakistan, Ms. Shaheen
Ashraf Shah, Researcher at the Warwick University, United Kingdom showed how
water practice and policies are designed for men, by men and in the interest of men and
women water professionals are denied a basic human right such as separate toilet,
maternity leave and are subjected to forced resignations, harassments etc. Dr. Aditi
Mukherji, Researcher at the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Sri
Lanka highlighted the gender neutral higher technical education which doesn’t provide
much insight into gender and social relations. An interdisciplinary perspective would
hold the key, she said. Ms. Lesha Witmer of Women for Water Partnership (WfWP),
The Netherlands shared a study that revealed that women do enter the water sector but
they disappear due to lack of policies and practice to retain and value women as
professionals. She emphasized that a critical number of women professionals needed to
come to a breakeven point for positive and gender sensitive change in the water sector.
Mr. Durk Adema, of Directorate General for International Cooperation (DGIS),
Government of The Netherlands shared the support that is provided for gender sensitive
water policy and practice initiatives in developing countries by DGIS. Ms. Kuzhali
Anbuchelvan, a South Asian Water Fellow at the, Anna University, Chennai, India
shared her experience as a women water professional in the largely male dominated
department dealing with water in India. The discussions from the house also re-iterated
some of the comments made by the panelists and the study presentation.
Ms. Sumi Krishna, the chair of the seminar summarized that the issue of women water
professional isn’t discussed well within the gender discourse. The recent trends of
engineering education show that the space for women is opening slowly. While a critical
mass of women professional is important but not necessarily a sufficient condition and it
is the perspective which needs change which would in-turn change the organizational
culture.