Women, water policy, and reform: global discourses and local realities in Zimbabwe

How may global water reforms impact women? This paper critically examines contemporary water policy documents and guiding papers to understand how women as water users are being portrayed by development organisations involved in water reform initiatives, what affects policy proposals may have on women&rsquo;s access to and use of water resources, and whether or not these documents adequately allow for women&rsquo;s participation and decision-making in the formation of water policy and water reform. <br /><br />The author situates this discussion on water policy reform in the context of Southern Africa, where several nations are currently reforming how water is managed in attempts to address historical inequalities in access to water, as well as making the water sector more sustainable and efficient to better cope with changing climatic conditions. The paper pays particular attention to the water reform process in <br />Zimbabwe, which has been ongoing since 1995. <br /><br />The paper finds that the reforms include a focus on women as water users and highlight the need to include women in water management decision making and practice. However, they do not adequately address the differentiation of women water users, particularly regarding women as productive farmers. Nor do they address issues of power within households and communities that shape men and women&rsquo;s participation in both informal and formal water management institutions, as well as their access to water resources. <br /><br />The author highlights that if policy makers are sincere about incorporating women into decision-making and policy practice, then human rights frameworks such as CEDAW (the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women) must be incorporated into policy documents as well as the institutions responsible for managing water to ensure that women&rsquo;s interests and participation are translated into action.