10 January 2011
Facilitated by Dr. Richard Thomas
Dr. Thomas spoke about dry-lands: the global context; traditional water management and harvesting methods; and challenges and threats. Then he led us in discussion about the causes of, aggravating factors of, and possible solutions for global water scarcity. The gender issue came up, and I wanted to explore it more. Thanks for reading with grace :)
What is the gender issue?
Personally, the term sounds a bit euphemistic. Broadly speaking, it is that a woman’s dignity and worth are under-appreciated and devalued. This is expressed by not recognizing and/or not respecting her intelligence, her perspective, her labour, her potential, or simply just her. Subsequently, women are neglected, abused, and exploited. The greatest guilt for these offenses lay at the feet of men, either for active participation, passive cowardice, or indifference.
How does this play out in water issues?
In developing countries, women and girls are typically responsible for water collection. This requires long daily trips for often dirty water brought back in quantities that are heavy (which may cause health problems) yet small (limited amounts for drinking, cleaning, cooking, gardening). These problems worsen during menstruation and pregnancy as the quality and quantity of water becomes more important for hygiene, hydration, and nutritional food preparation. Inadequate sanitation facilities may injure her dignity, expose her to dangers from animals and men, and expel her prematurely from school. Recall from Susan and Corinne’s seminar that while the men weren’t interested in latrines, the women thought otherwise.
Important pieces for solutions
Worldview matters. How we perceive reality and our role in it will affect how we live. The inequality of women is a by-product of certain worldviews, whether this is recognized or not. As this is part of the problem, it must be addressed in the solution.
Men matter. At the very least because they are such a large part of the problem. Women can not and should not correct this ailment on their own, nor should they be expected to. This is comparable to the abolition of slavery in the British Empire, where white men and women fought for the emancipation of their black friends.
Jesus matters. Here’s a big can of worms. For what it’s worth, I’m persuaded that he does. I won’t explore this further here, and would rather in-person, but I’ll at least be upfront and say it.
The (wo)man in the mirror
It’s so easy to judge the extreme and the other and disregard ourselves. “Before we conquer the world, we must first conquer the self.” Here are some questions to help evaluate our views and their influences.
- Have I been wounded by a member of the opposite sex?
- What kind of relationship did I have with my mother? My father?
- How did my parents and other role models treat members of the opposite sex?
- What do I think of pornography? Prostitution? Abortion?
- How are men and women portrayed in the music/books/magazines/tv shows/movies that I enjoy?
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