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?
Additional information
You're right, there is a vicious cycle; without safe water, sanitation and hygiene, women and their children often struggle with poor health poverty, and low education levels. However, with this being increasingly recognized, there are now more opportunities to reverse it, such as involving women in community development & management of water and sanitation services. Hopefully this doesn't sound naive, but it is exciting to be learning about such a cornerstone issue, because this is where large impacts can be made.
ReplyDeleteOk. The questions thing can be overused Jesse!
ReplyDeleteAnd so to the elephant you have placed in the room. Faith matters. Cultural norms matter too and in so many of these poor countries it seems that faith/culture does not value women. Or perhaps that is unfair. Women matter, but their place in society is defined differently to what many (most) find acceptable.
Changing faith and cultural beliefs may be the real nub here. A question of my own. Can that happen?
I like that you raised the issue of gender inequality. I think that it takes a lot more analysis to make the links between pornography, rural women's labour, and religion than can be achieved in 500 words! But thanks for starting some interesting lines of thought.
ReplyDeleteA great journal/magazine that tackles issues of gender and the environment is WE: Women and Environments Magazine (http://www.yorku.ca/weimag/ABOUT/index.html). I think you might like it.
Also - in answer to Alex's question about whether cultural values can be changed, I think they can, and I think that, from a women's studies perspective, we need to look to women and their allies within 'developing' countries for guidance about what changes are desirable and possible. Returning to the idea of capacity development, it's a question of recognizing the potential for change that exists on the ground and nurturing/supporting that change (rather than coming in from outside and attempting to implement cultural change).
ReplyDeleteI might try to post something in the near future about the feminisms of the global south.
so cultural values can perhaps be changed. What about heavily ingrained religious ones?
ReplyDeleteHello All,
ReplyDeleteThese are interesting questions. For me, promoting a women's rights should be supreme over any religious, political, social or other value. It is a matter of fundamental human rights and should be fore in the minds of anyone doing work in the water or sanitation sectors.
Nice focus, Jesse
Harris
I've obviously been neglecting my blog... quickly:
ReplyDeleteAlex: Thanks for the comments. And thanks for commenting at all :) With the question-thing, I hear you, and yet I also think introspection is important and neglected. With the religion-thing, I'll never defend religion, and I'd likely share many of your (or others) indictments against it. I find that 'religion' is an unhelpful, vague term, particularly because it is used so pejoratively. But Jesus, the Bible: they've been misused, misrepresented, dressed up to wear the prejudices, ignorance, and violence of so many that many of us (including many Christians) don't know the real thing. With regards to women's rights, Jesus and his early followers (many of whom were women) befriended and defended and involved women in ways that socially and religiously unorthodox, sometimes reprehensible. ... There's much else I want to say, but I think in person may be best :) Maybe when we do lunch.
HungryTides/Dana: 500 words indeed is not enough! Perhaps blogs are a poor intro forum too. I'm starred that magazine and will look at it, thanks.
Harris: thanks. I'm wondering where you think fundamental human rights come from?