Message 35: Ango Patrice Effebi

Find my contribution which begins with the definition of gender

Gender refers to the roles and responsibilities of men and women and the relationship between them. Gender does not simply refer to women or men, but to the way their qualities, behaviours and identities are determined through the process of socialization. These roles and responsibilities are culturally specific and can change over time. Gender is seen as the social construction of men’s and women’s roles in a given culture or location.

Gender roles are distinguished from sex roles, which are biologically determined. Gender refers to the socially determined roles played by women and men. These different roles are influenced by historical, religious, economic, cultural and ethnic factors. As women and men are defined in the weave of specific social fabrics, the relation they share constitutes what is known as gender relations.

Women’s participation in the utilization and management of water resources must be looked at in the broader context of the social construction of gender roles in different regions, and their access to productive assets and resources.

So there is a need to clarify there implications on the initiative concerning:

• Attitudes, roles and responsibilities of men and women are taken into account, recognizing that both sexes and different social classes do not have the same access to and control over resources and that work, benefits and impacts may be different for the different socio-gender groups.

• Considering the needs, roles, capacities, benefits and burdens of men and women, rich and poor, young and old becomes the norm rather than the exception.

Why is it important to mainstream gender in agricultural water management?

Research in the past 40 years has shown consistently that women are over-represented among the poor in both rural and urban settings. They have less access to land and productive resources and when they work in paid employment, they receive lower wages than men. At the same time, it has been shown that women play important roles in agriculture and food production in most parts of the world. For this reason, the first MDG - to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger - must focus on women and their work in agriculture because they are significant actors in the provision of food security.

In most parts of the world, women are major actors in agricultural production. Their knowledge of local biodiversity, soil, and water conditions is a significant factor in their capacity to contribute to food security. In some cases, in many African societies, they are often the most important producers of food for local consumption. In other cases, in Asia or Eastern Europe, they are often employed as agricultural labourers or work with their male relatives on family farms. In still other cases, as in parts of the Middle East, they may be most prominent in post production processes and work in the fields only during periods of labour shortage. It is clear that we cannot generalize about the role of women in agriculture as it varies so much across regions and across time, since their roles have often changed in response to male migration or to changes in agricultural production systems. However, it is worth noting that many national governments and international development programmes continue to consider women primarily as family labourers rather than farmers.

Most importantly, it should be recognized that although women have often been disadvantaged and have lost rights and status as agricultural systems became increasingly technology-based and commercialized, there also have been instances where they have benefited from changes, sometimes as a result of their own negotiations to ensure that they received benefits or rights. Unfortunately, when gender is integrated into development projects, women frequently are seen as a .marginalized. or a disadvantaged group (and often put into a category with children). This tends to reinforce the idea that women are victims rather than strong partners in development.

So attention has been given to women’s role in agricultural production.

With a gender analysis, planners gain a more accurate picture of communities, natural resource uses, households and water users. Understanding the differences among and between women and men (who does what work, who makes which decisions, who uses water for what purpose, who controls which resources, who is responsible for different family obligations, etc.) is part of a good analysis and can contribute to more effective initiatives.

Women and men tend to have different uses, priorities and responsibilities for water resources. There are also trends along gender lines in terms of access and control over water and water rights. If planners do not have an accurate picture of who uses water for what purposes, they are not working with complete information.

Gender differences and inequalities mean that women and men experience changes in water availability, services or water policies differently. Thus an initiative should be studied for its differential impact on women and men to ensure that all implications are clearly understood and there are no unintended negative repercussions.

The differences and inequalities between women and men influence how individuals respond to changes in water resources management. Understanding gender roles, relations and inequalities can help explain the choices people make and their different options.

Attitudes, roles and responsibilities of men and women are taken into account, recognizing that both sexes and different social classes do not have the same access to and control over resources and that work, benefits and impacts may be different for the different socio-gender groups.

Considering the needs, roles, capacities, benefits and burdens of men and women, rich and poor, young and old becomes the norm rather than the exception.

What are the real gender issues in water management in agriculture?

Women’s disadvantaged position with respect to access to productive resources such as land, labour and financial services, is often mentioned as a key reason for the greater poverty of female-headed households.

Why is gender not mainstreamed in practice?

No voice in decision-making about water and their needs may be given little priority.

ANGO Patrice EFFEBI

Consultant

Abidjan

Ivory Coast - West africa