However, women and girls continue to be excluded from water resource management and decision-making processes.
The Director-General of UNESCO, Khaled Al-Anani, noted: "Ensuring women's participation in water resource management is a crucial condition for progress and sustainable development. We need to intensify efforts to guarantee access for women and girls to water resources. This is not only a fundamental right but also an approach that will benefit society as a whole."
The Chair of "UN - Water," Alvaro Lario, emphasized: "It is time to recognize the central role of women and girls in addressing water resource issues... Both genders must jointly manage water resources as a common good that serves the interests of the entire society."
According to the report, 2.1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water, with the greatest burden falling on women and girls. They are often responsible for collecting water, which leads to missed school days and reduced educational attainment. Additionally, on the way to water sources located far from home, women and girls may be subjected to violence.
If we add up all the hours that women and girls spend collecting water worldwide, it amounts to 250 million hours a day—time that could be used for education, rest, or income-generating activities.
Unsatisfactory sanitation conditions also negatively impact women and girls, especially in urban slums and rural areas. The lack of toilets and water for menstrual hygiene forces girls to miss school. It is estimated that between 2016 and 2022, 10 million adolescent girls (ages 15-19) in 41 countries missed school, work, or social activities.
Despite their crucial role in providing water for families and in agriculture, women are still underrepresented in water resource governance and decision-making processes in this area.
An analysis of 64 water sector enterprises in 28 low- and middle-income countries showed that less than 20% of water sector workers are women, and they earn less than men. In 2021-2022, women held less than half of the positions in the public sector related to water supply, sanitation, and hygiene in 79 countries, and in almost a quarter of the 109 countries, their share was less than 10%.
The report also highlights that gender inequality in land ownership and property directly affects women's access to water resources. Water rights are often tied to land rights, impacting access to resources for purposes such as agriculture. Legislation and norms that discriminate against women in land ownership put them at a disadvantage. In some countries, men own twice as much land as women.
The worsening climate situation, water scarcity, and natural disasters only exacerbate existing gender inequalities. Gender continues to be a key factor determining access to early warning systems and support during recovery.
Data shows that climate change has a stronger impact on women: a one-degree Celsius increase in temperature reduces incomes in female-headed households by 34% more than in male-headed households, while the weekly burden on women increases by an average of 55 minutes compared to men.
The report contains specific recommendations for achieving progress, including:
- removing legal, institutional, and financial barriers to women's equal rights to water and land;
- expanding gender-responsive financing and budgeting;
- accounting for unpaid water-related labor in planning, pricing, and investment decision-making;
- strengthening women's leadership positions and technical skills.
