Women, Water and Rights

Abstract:     
This paper explores how the laws governing the use of water exclude women from domains of decision-making in context of India. The near invisibility and exclusion of women is most apparent in water management in India. The view of water, as a physical resource and national good, to be planned and managed by the State, often overlooks the fact that women are the primary water managers and educators, and play important roles in the national economy as small-scale farmers and irrigators. The constitutional provisions have not yet translated into real empowerment for women in India. They have also failed to pay due attention to the social embeddedness of land or the relational aspects of gender. Nor have they been able to introduce a gender perspective into resource management policies such as the National Water Policy.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 24

Keywords: Water, Gender, Women, Governance, Rights, India

Accepted Paper Series