Woman, Water and Leadership

Abstract

There is a gender gap in water management leadership at all levels of government— national, municipal, and local—and it encompasses water utilities, and water supply and irrigation community governance groups. Women are rarely involved in decisions relating to water policies and strategies, water resource management, or tariff setting and technology choices. They are missing in key areas of water-related decision making. To narrow the gender gap in leadership at all levels of the water sector, and to ensure water security1 for all, there needs to be more equity, and women need to have greater involvement in decision making. A workshop, jointly sponsored by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI),2 brought together 80 academics; researchers; industry practitioners; and members of the public and private sectors, civil society, and development organizations to study the current situation, discuss the gaps in women’s leadership, and learn from good practices. This brief synthesizes the key findings from the workshop