Gender Approaches

Gender definition

In all societies men and women play different roles, have different needs, and face different constraints. Gender roles differ from the biological roles of men and women, although they may overlap in nearly all societies. Gender roles are socially constructed. They demarcate responsibilities between men and women, social and economic activities, access to resources, and decisionmaking authority. Biological roles are fixed, but gender roles can and do change with social, economic, and technological change. Social factors underlie and support gender-based disparities. These factors include:

•Institutional arrangements that create and reinforce gender-based constraints or, conversely, foster an environment in which gender disparities can be reduced

•The formal legal system that reinforces customs and practice giving women inferior legal status in many countries

•Sociocultural attitudes and ethnic and class/caste-based obligations that determine men’s and women’s roles, responsibilities, and decisionmaking functions

•Religious beliefs and practices that limit women’s mobility, social contact, access to resources, and the types of activities they can pursue.

Gender in the Water and Sanitation sector

Gender approaches is often important in water and sanitation sector because women are particularly touched by the condition of access to water and sanitation : if a water system breaks down, women, not men, will most likely be the ones most affected, for they may have to travel further for water or use other means to meet the household’s water and hygiene needs.

It has been underlined in the Principle No. 3 of the Dublin principles (1992) that : “Women play a central part in the provision, management and safeguarding of water. This pivotal role of women as providers and users of water and guardians of the living environment has seldom been reflected in institutional arrangements for the development and management of water resources. Acceptance and implementation of this principle require positive policies to address women’s specific needs and to equip and empower women to participate at all levels in water resources programmes, including decision-making and implementation, in ways defined by them".