Advancing gender equity through water (SDG 5)

Women and men often occupy different, culturally determined roles in a society. This includes in water spaces—the collection, management, treatment, and governance of water—from the household to international scale. This chapter places the gender equity and water relationship in a broader context and addresses the gender dimension of the coupled human-water system. It zooms in on the importance of, and ways to achieve women’s agency for water security, which includes engagement in nested political hierarchies and transboundary water governance. A distinction is made between gender sensitivity and women inclusiveness. Both gender sensitivity and women inclusiveness are needed to ensure effective water for sustainable development solutions that leave no one behind.