2017年-世界发展银行全球_The_Rising_Tide___A_New_Look_at_Water_and_Gender_71页_3mb

The Rising Tide: A New Look at Water and Gender

Core Content

This report, The Rising Tide: A New Look at Water and Gender, explores the intersection of water and gender, emphasizing the need for a more inclusive and gender-sensitive approach to water-related policies and programs. It is written by Maitreyi Bordia Das and Gaia Hatzfeldt, under the guidance of Guangzhe CHEN, and reflects the World Bank Group's commitment to gender equality and social inclusion.

The report presents a framework that conceptualizes water in three key dimensions: assets, services, and spaces. These dimensions help to visualize how water interacts with gender in complex and multifaceted ways, influencing economic, social, and cultural systems.

Main Messages

• Water as an asset, service, and space reflects its diverse roles and values, with the latter often deeply gendered.
• Gender inequalities are mirrored in water-related domains, such as access to natural resources, employment, and decision-making.
• Intersectionality is crucial in understanding how multiple identities (e.g., ethnicity, race, disability, sexual orientation) shape experiences of inclusion and exclusion.
• Nonmonetary and noneconomic values of water, such as spiritual and cultural significance, influence individual and group behavior, especially in response to reforms.
• Interventions that address gender relations in water-related domains can have a broader impact on gender equality.
• Policies and programs that improve the ability, opportunity, and dignity of historically excluded groups are more effective in advancing gender equality.

Why Water and Gender, and Why Now?

The report is timely due to significant global shifts in social, economic, and technological trends that have altered the landscape of water and gender. While many have benefited from these changes, others—particularly those from marginalized groups—have been left behind. This highlights the importance of addressing gender inequality in water-related sectors as part of the broader social inclusion agenda.

Key global commitments, such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the World Bank Group's Gender Strategy, underscore the need to leave no one behind. The report aligns with these goals, especially Goal 6 (clean water and sanitation) and Goal 5 (gender equality), and reflects the World Bank's commitment to social inclusion as a core principle.

Methodology and Process

The report is grounded in a comprehensive literature review and draws on social media discussions, consultations, and case studies from various regions. It integrates insights from economics, anthropology, and geography, with a strong contribution from feminist perspectives. The empirical focus is on South Asia, Africa, and the United States, though there is a growing body of literature from Latin America on social movements and collective action.

The report emphasizes the importance of diagnostics in designing effective interventions and highlights the need for integrated approaches that go beyond traditional water sectors to include agriculture, health, education, and ICT.

Key Findings and Implications

• Water is a critical arena for gender relations, often reflecting and reinforcing existing inequalities.
• Gender inequality in water is not uniform; it varies based on identity intersections such as ethnicity, caste, and disability.
• Nonmonetary values of water, including cultural and spiritual significance, play a key role in shaping behaviors and responses to reform.
• Policies and programs that improve access, control, and dignity for marginalized groups are more likely to succeed in promoting gender equality.
• Interventions must consider power dynamics and social norms to effectively address gender disparities in water-related domains.

Conclusion

The report concludes that water is not just a resource but a theater of social and gender relations. By framing water through the lens of assets, services, and spaces, it encourages a more holistic and integrated approach to water governance and policy. The metaphor of the rising tide is used to illustrate both the opportunities and the risks of gender-inclusive water interventions, urging stakeholders to think critically about how to lift more boats and ensure no one is left behind.

The report serves as a resource for academics, policymakers, development practitioners, and private sector actors, providing a framework for understanding the complex relationship between water and gender and offering guidance on designing inclusive and equitable interventions. It is not a "how-to" manual, but a call to action for more thoughtful and evidence-based approaches to gender and water.