wH2O: The Journal of Gender and Water

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
ISSN
Print: 2167-2822 Online: 2167-2830
Publisher
Discipline
Africana Studies
Appalachian Studies
Curriculum and Social Inquiry
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Environmental Design
Environmental Engineering
Environmental Health
Environmental Law
Environmental Studies
Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Other German Language and Literature
Risk Analysis
Technical and Professional Writing
Urban, Community and Regional Planning
Water Resource Management
Women's Studies
Description
wH2O, the Journal of Gender and Water, is an internationally recognized, peer reviewed publication serving as a centralized hub for information on gender issues related to water, sanitation and hygiene and gender equity in the water sector. Our vision is to become an internationally recognized journal that serves as a centralized hub for information related to gender mainstreaming related to water, sanitation and hygiene, and gender equity in the water industry. Submit your work for publication in our upcoming volumes via journal's portal: https://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/submit.cgi?context=wh2ojournal

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 10 of 77
  • Publication
    Conceptualizing a Hybrid Framework to Help Improve Gender Outcomes in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Programs in India
    (2017-10-10) Lala, Sunetra; Cronic, Aidan A.; Basu, Malika; Nirvana, Jyotsna
    Developing and managing water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) programs in a sustainable manner contributes to gender equity by improving men’s and women’s access to services and benefits. A gender-sensitive approach to ensure equity in WASH programs can achieve positive outcomes including participatory decision making, empowerment of women, and sustainable programs. Gender analysis frameworks have a long history in development practice to guide strengthened gender outcomes, and opportunities exist to learn from such frameworks to support implementation of WASH programs in developing countries, including India. This paper reviews seven well-established gender analysis frameworks from the Indian WASH context vis-à-vis six key categories, viewed as critical components to gender outcomes and vital to the sustained success of WASH programs, to develop an improved compilation, referred to as the hybrid framework. The hybrid framework combines the strengths of the seven previously established frameworks for optimizing gender outcomes and aims to identify the opportunities for both men and women to shape WASH programs to meet their intended gender and equity objectives. Lastly, this newly developed framework provides a potential platform for local-level processes to use a comprehensive set of quantitative and qualitative indicators under each of the developed six categories provided further field testing and appropriate modification.
  • Publication
    Beyond Distance and Time: Gender and the Burden of Water Collection in Rural Uganda
    (2017-10-10) Asaba, Richard B; Fagan, G. Honor; Kabonesa, Consolata; Mugumya, Firminus
    This paper explores the gender differences in water collection in Makondo Parish in Uganda as a case study. Our analysis is based on data collected from a cross-sectional survey, in-depth interviews, focus groups, and participant observation in the study area. This data confirms that children and women are most burdened by water collection. Unless it is for commercial or work-related reasons or when there is a long drought, men rarely fetch water. Our study further reveals that children and women walk distances of less than half a kilometre to more than two kilometres on rugged and hilly roads and paths, carrying water on their heads or by hand. They spend a lot of time queuing at "improved" water sources, and suffer from health complications such as prolonged fatigue, chest pain and headache as a result of carrying water. Children and women are also distressed by the dangers of verbal and physical assault and rape at both "improved" and "unimproved" water points. We contend that whereas time and distance remain important determinants of the burden of water collection, socio-cultural, environmental and health-related conditions are equally critical in understanding the troubles that children and women face while collecting water in rural developing communities.
  • Publication
    Pushing Forward in the Changing Water Sector: An Interview with Kishia L. Powell, COO, DC Water
    (2021-03-05) Drabick, Abigail
    Kishia Powell is a licensed Professional Engineer in the District of Columbia, Virginia and Maryland. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Morgan State University’s Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr. School of Engineering. Currently, Powell is Chief Operating Officer at DC Water, where she manages 80% of the water authority’s resources. With over 22 years of experience, Kishia Powell sheds light on the value of water, her experience as a leader and a woman in the water utilities industry, the COVID-19 pandemic, and climate change in this interview with The Journal of Gender and Water. Through her storytelling of challenges, progress, and triumphs, not only do we get a window in Kishia Powell’s career journey, but the water sector as a whole. From the complex conversations about racial equity, access, and affordability in public systems, to infrastructure investment we can see through Powell’s experiences that she, alongside other empowered leaders, are actively addressing these matters and pushing the industry forward.
  • Publication
    Arsenic Poisoning in Rural Bangladesh-An intersectional analysis of impact in women
    (2017-12-01) Andersson, Louise; Caretta, Dr. Martina Angela
    Based on a qualitative case study in six arsenic acute villages in southwest Bangladesh, this paper presents the intersectional impact of the arsenic poisoning crisis in rural Bangladesh. Findings indicate that the arsenic poisoning crisis is aggravating existing gender inequalities as well as gender roles and responsibilities. The gender inequalities related to arsenicosis are manifested in the access to health care and in the degree of social stigma: women are the biggest victims, unmarried women in particular. The study shows that multiple axis of oppression as class, disability and age are crucial in determining the magnitude of the arsenic poisoning impacts in rural Bangladesh. Understanding the gendered dynamics in the arsenic poisoning crisis and, in particular its intersectional impact on women informs the debate on disaster management. Consequently, by expanding current knowledge, this case study lays the ground for more comprehensive and gender inclusive policy making in the context of hazardous waterscapes.
  • Publication
    Barriers and Bias: Women in Water Utilities Are Breaking Them All
    (2020-03-10) Hegde, Swati
    Around the world, women are the mainstays of society, from raising children to supporting families to caring for the needy. In developing countries, they are also usually responsible for collecting and providing water for the family. In doing so, their time, health, safety, education and income are compromised. Outdated and undisputed social norms create the biases that force women to bear the responsibility to secure and distribute water, thereby creating barriers to women’s advancement in educational opportunities and significantly reducing income-earning potential. Similarly, in the developed world, outdated social norms create biases and barriers in the water industry that limit women’s advancement in terms of roles and leadership opportunity. However, with increased awareness of opportunities in the water sector in the early stages of their careers, it is possible to attract more women to the water sector and for these women to become the next generation of water leaders. This article discusses the biases, barriers and bottlenecks facing women who work in water utilities, current leadership’s responsibility to attract more women to the sector and the role of communications in attracting more young minds toward water utilities. This paper presents the state of the knowledge of female employment in water careers in the United States (US) and is supported by learnings from interviewing four women water leaders working in four different large US water utilities.
  • Publication
    The Accidental Alchemist
    (2017-10-10) Lazos, Pamela J.
    Disclaimer: *Ms. Lazos’ opinions are hers alone and do not represent those of the US Environmental Protection Agency.
  • Publication
    It’s Art About Water Treatment! An interview with Mallory Chaput, the artist inspiring future water leaders-one artwork at a time
    (2022-04-30) Hegde, Swati
    This article throws a spotlight on Mallory Chaput, an artist inspiring future water leaders to take up water careers. Through her coloring pages, paintings, and comics about the water treatment, Mallory is helping children re-imagine the water sector. Originally a landscaper, Mallory developed a profound interest in water and wastewater treatment and learned about it by visiting plants, talking to professionals, and studying engineering books. This article is a transcript of an interview with Mallory, featuring her background, her imaginative creations and her future goals.
  • Publication
    Cinderella and the Missing Slipper: Gender Dynamics in Water Management in the Coastal Region of Bangladesh
    (2019-03-04) Bahauddin, Khalid Md.; Huq, Hamidul
    The water world is socially constructed, reflecting continuous gender inequalities and discrimination by those who hold dominant perspectives on water. This qualitative study was conducted in coastal areas of Bangladesh i.e. Bajua and Laodob union of Dacope upazilla of Khulna district. This study explored the gendered roles, responsibilities, and inequalities of access to and control over water management in the household, irrigation and agriculture. Results of this study lightened the importance of taking into account the complexity of power and negotiation in local water structures within women’s social realities. This study observed that there are considerable gender imbalance with regard to household activities, income generating activities, participation and mobility, ownership and control of resources, decision making power and involvement in different activities in the water management. The distinct roles and the relations between men and women may give rise to gender inequalities where one group is systematically favored and holds advantages over another. Therefore, gender mainstreaming in the water management is an integral dimension to bringing to light the concerns and experiences of both men and women. The study is convinced that dissemination of information with regards to the role of women in the water management and benefits of a gendered approach in the water sector has been neglected. There were inadequate research materials, especially locally in relation to gender, water management and women empowerment, indicating that there either has been not much research conducted to explore the top or there has been no proper documentation of research papers pertaining to the same. Possible areas of further research may include evaluating the gender mainstreaming strategies in the water and agriculture management in the southwest coastal regions of Bangladesh. If strategies are there and people are enlightened, where is the missing link? Lastly, further research is needed to focus on how women knowledge in water management can be translated to community and national benefits.