From Seema Kulkarni, Society for Promoting Participative Eco-System Management (SOPPECOM), Pune
Posted 20 May 2009
I work with the Society for Promoting Participative Eco-System Management (SOPPECOM), Pune. My colleagues, Sara Ahmed currently with International Development Research Centre (IDRC), South Asia, Chhaya Datar from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) and I have completed a two-year study on decentralized rural water governance and women’s empowerment in Maharashtra and Gujarat, supported by IDRC, Canada, as part of their global competition on understanding decentralisation and its impacts on women. This was a joint study conducted by SOPPECOM, UTTHAN and TISS, led by SOPPECOM. Please read more at https://www.indiawaterportal.org/tt/dwm/policies/Reforming_Water_Adding_Women_-_Nov_2008.pdf (PDF; Size: 256KB)
Women’s role in providing for drinking water, collecting and utilising it for other domestic purposes has been fairly well-documented. Most policy and programmes are shaped by this limited understanding of what women do, rather than what they are capable of doing if provided democratic space within the family and the community.
Although women play a major role in the collection and use of domestic water, they have a small role to play in key decisions on community drinking water schemes. This is despite the fact that States have implemented the quota system in village water and sanitation committees under the Panchayati Raj system. For instance, in Maharashtra, the quota for women in these committees is as high as 50% and up to 75% in the Women's Development Committees, which are a part of the drinking water programme; in Gujarat, the quota is prescribed at 33%.
We have analysed why, despite these quotas and the allocation of a small but dedicated fund, women remain marginal in the decision-making process. A range of factors, from economic status to caste and importantly patriarchy, play a role in determining women's participation in the public sphere. Our study also looked at a range of other constraining factors such as a lack of technical and managerial capacities that would help improve participation, from mere physical presence to making a difference, to both the sectoral performance as well as their own empowerment.
Against this background, I request members to share their experiences on the following:
- How can the introduction of a quota system for women in the drinking water sector become a meaningful instrument to ensure their participation in drinking water governance?
- How can women make the transition from their current role as merely providers of water in the households to decision makers in the public domain? Please share any examples of women’s engagement in the operation and maintenance of drinking water schemes, particularly from Gujarat and Maharashtra.
Contributions from the community would be of immense importance as we are compiling recommendations for Maharashtra as part of our engagement with the State Government. We hope that your inputs will indicate what the state can do to introduce quotas, increase budgetary allocations, and capacity building efforts. While doing so we also hope for some pointers on bridging the divide between public participation and domestic work.
Please see attachment below for the responses.