Gender Analysis

Citation:

Strang, Veronica. 2015. “Lording It Over the Goddess: Water, Gender, and Human-Environmental Relations.” Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion 30 (1): 85–109.

Author: Veronica Strang

Abstract:

Focusing on human engagements with water, this article steps back from specifically cultural or historical contexts in order to trace the larger patterns of social, religious, and technological change that have transformed most societies’ relationships with their environments. It examines transitions from totemic “nature religions” to male-dominated and hierarchical belief systems, and considers how these intersected with shifts to settlement and agriculture, differentiated gender roles, and stratified socio- political arrangements. With developments in farming, enlarging societies moved from egalitarian partnerships with other species and ecosystems to more directive interactions. Irrigation channeled water into human interests. Initially seen as embodying female principles, it became the gift of male religious beings. From being a common good, it became subject to male property rights. Long understood as the substance of social and spiritual regeneration, it was reframed as an economic “asset.” Observing these transformations, the article also considers long-term contraflows: indigenous struggles; subaltern religions; and environmentalist and feminist challenges to sociopolitical inequalities. 

Topics: Development, Environment, Gender, Gender Analysis, Gender Roles, Gendered Power Relations, Gender Equality/Inequality, Gender Hierarchies, Patriarchy, Indigenous, Infrastructure, Water & Sanitation, Religion, Rights, Women's Rights

Year: 2015

Citation:

Njuki, Jemimah et al. 2014. “A Qualitative Assessment of Gender and Irrigation Technology in Kenya and Tanzania.” Gender, Technology and Development 18 (3): 303–40. 

Authors: Jemimah Njuki, Elizabeth Waithanji, Beatrice Sakwa, Juliet Kariuki, Elizabeth Mukewa, John Ngige

Abstract:

Rural household economies dependent on rain-fed agriculture are turning to irrigation technology solutions to counter weather variability, and guard against low crop yields. Organizations are using market-based approaches to disseminate technologies to smallholder farmers, and although women are among their target group, little is known of the extent to which these approaches are reaching and benefiting them. There is also scant evidence about the implications for crop choice and income management if these new irrigation technologies are used and controlled by women. This article reports the findings of a qualitative study undertaken in Tanzania and Kenya to examine women’s access to and ownership of irrigation pumps, and the implications on their ability to make major decisions on crop choices and use of income from irrigated crops. Results from sales monitoring data showed that less than 10 percent of the pumps are being purchased by women, and most of the major decisions on crop choices and income use continue to be made by men. These findings vary from type of crop, with men making major decisions concerning high-income crops such as tomatoes, and women commanding relatively more autonomy over crops such as leafy vegetables. The study recommends further research to find out whether market-based approaches on their own can guarantee women access to and ownership of technologies, and the specific measures that need to be taken by businesses to achieve the goal of reaching and benefiting women.

Keywords: Gender, irrigation, technology, household decision making, income management, market approaches

Annotation:

The article discuses the various rural household irrigation technologies available for communities to gain access to water for household and agricultural consumption. It speaks heavily of the KickStart program implemented in Kenya and Tanzania, with particular attention paid to women and pump management. The differentiated roles of men and women are discussed with themes such as decision-making, intra-household crop choices, and income usage. The study demonstrates that women’s ownership of pumps is not the main determinant of whether she makes decisions regarding crop irrigation and income distribution. Increasing technological innovations in rural villages brings both positive and negative effects to gender relations and women’s empowerment. Training field experts on gender, ensuring a gendered balance in the program’s team, and forming a greater understanding of the constraints facing women are important recommendations argued by the author. Further research should also be conducted to determine ownership of the pumps and resource allocation, as the study determined that women and men have joint decision-making abilities

Topics: Agriculture, Development, Economies, Environment, Feminisms, Gender, Masculinity/ies, Gender Roles, Gender Analysis, Femininity/ies, Gendered Discourses, Households Regions: Africa, East Africa Countries: Kenya, Tanzania

Year: 2014

Citation:

Cronin, Aidan A., Pradeep K. Mehta, and Anjal Prakash, eds. 2015. Gender Issues in Water and Sanitation Programmes : Lessons from India. New Delhi, IND: Sage Publications Pvt. Ltd. 

Authors: Aidan A. Cronin, Pradeep K. Mehta, Anjal Prakash

Annotation:

This book fills the gaps in conceptual knowledge related to gender outcomes in water and sanitation issues. It illustrates how to get the desired gender outcomes in WASH programs by providing real-life case studies from different regions of India. The first section focuses on the Gender and WASH problem, forming a background for the case studies in India. Ways of incorporating gender dimensions in water management and in water and sanitation agendas in India are heavily explored here. The second section provides a contextual understanding of gender and WASH in India through basic facts, statistics, and anecdotes. The final section discusses women’s participation in the sanitation sector with a focus on developing innovative ways in which women’s role and participation can be up scaled. Through the case studies, the authors argue that the identification of vulnerable households can help in devising systems to reduce the hardships faced by women. Water governance was found to be limiting for women when the existing social dynamics of the region were not addressed. Current training programs of the Government of India were found to lack in having an approach to gender and equity in WASH. The book concludes by offering further thoughts on the “gender how?” question, while providing suggestions for further policy initiatives on gender in WASH. Such suggestions are highly centered on further research in the gender and hygiene field. 

Topics: Development, Economies, Economic Inequality, Gender, Masculinity/ies, Gender Roles, Gender Analysis, Gendered Power Relations, Patriarchy, Gender Hierarchies, Gender Equality/Inequality, Gender Equity, Health, Households, Infrastructure, Water & Sanitation, Rights, Land Rights, Property Rights, Women's Rights Regions: Asia, Southeast Asia Countries: India

Year: 2015

Citation:

Von Lossow, Tobias. 2015. “Gender in Inter-State Water Conflicts.” Peace Review: A Journal of Social Justice 27 (2): 196–201. 

Author: Tobias Von Lossow

Topics: Environment, Climate Change, Environmental Disasters, Gender, Masculinity/ies, Gender Analysis, Femininity/ies, Gender Mainstreaming, Humanitarian Assistance, Infrastructure, Water & Sanitation

Year: 2015

Citation:

Malvern, Sue, and Gabriel Koureas. 2014. "Terrorist Transgressions: Exploring the Gendered Representations of the Terrorist." Historical Social Research 39 (3): 67-81.

Authors: Sue Malvern, Gabriel Koureas

Topics: Feminisms, Gender, Women, Masculinity/ies, Gender Analysis, Terrorism, Violence

Year: 2014

Citation:

Belge, Ceren, and Lisa Blaydes. 2014. "Social Capital and Dispute Resolution in Informal Areas of Cairo and Istanbul." Studies In Comparative International Development 49 (4): 448-76.

Authors: Ceren Belge, Lisa Blaydes

Topics: Gender, Women, Gender Analysis, Peacebuilding, Peace Processes, Post-Conflict, Violence, Weapons /Arms Regions: Africa, MENA, North Africa, Asia, Middle East, Europe, Southern Europe Countries: Egypt, Turkey

Year: 2014

Citation:

McGrew, Laura, Kate Frieson, and Sambath Chan. 2004. Good Governance from the Ground Up: Women’s Roles in Post-Conflict Cambodia. Cambridge, MA: Hunt Alternatives Fund.

Authors: Laura McGrew, Kate Frieson, Sambath Chan

Abstract:

Women are spearheading Cambodia’s transformation to democracy. During the years when the UN Transitional Authority in Cambodia watched over the nation’s progress, women jumped at the chance to aid in reconstruction. They aimed to make the process of drafting a new constitution more inclusive, and they rallied to help ensure peaceful elections following violent campaign periods. Today, women compose the majority of Cambodians with experience in conflict management and peace building.

This publication traces women’s contributions to governance and peace through local and national politics as well as civil society; examines the significance of gender perspectives to the promotion of good governance; and reflects on mechanisms enhancing women’s participation in the political arena. (Institute for Inclusive Security)

Topics: Civil Society, Democracy / Democratization, Gender, Women, Gender Analysis, Gender Balance, Gender Mainstreaming, Gendered Power Relations, Gender Equity, Governance, Constitutions, Quotas, Elections, Post-Conflict Governance, International Organizations, NGOs, Peacebuilding, Peace Processes, Political Participation, Post-Conflict, Post-Conflict Reconstruction Regions: Asia, Southeast Asia Countries: Cambodia

Year: 2004

Citation:

Youngs, Gillian. 2004. “Feminist International Relations: A Contradiction in Terms? Or: Why Women and Gender Are Essential to Understanding the World ‘We’ Live in.” International Affairs 80 (1): 75-87.

Author: Gillian Youngs

Topics: Feminisms, Gender, Women, Gender Analysis, Gender Mainstreaming, Gendered Power Relations, Patriarchy, Gender Equity, Masculinism, Globalization, Military Forces & Armed Groups, Security

Year: 2004

Citation:

Williams, Suzanne. 2001. “Contested Terrain: Oxfam, Gender, and the Aftermath of War.” Gender and Development 9 (3): 19-28.

Author: Suzanne Williams

Abstract:

In this paper I explore the terrain of the international NGO (INGO) - in this case Oxfam GB - and some of its difficulties in integrating gender equity goals in the institutional structures and policies which govern its activities in conflict and its aftermath. I look at terrain that is divided into areas that are treated very differently. These are, on one hand, the field of humanitarian interventions in the throes of an emergency, and on the other, the 'non-conflict' field of reconstruction and development. Historically, these two fields of activity have been governed by very different ways of thinking and acting, often in conflict with each other. Gender analysis and gender-sensitive programming are central to these differences, and essential tools in the attempts to overcome them. In Oxfam GB at present, the differences in approaches to gender equity in these two territories are acknowledged, if not routinely addressed; but the importance of addressing gender equity in order to overcome some of these differences, is more complicated and controversial.

Topics: Development, Gender, Women, Men, Gender Analysis, Gender Balance, Gender Mainstreaming, Gendered Power Relations, Gender Equity, Health, Humanitarian Assistance, Infrastructure, Water & Sanitation, NGOs Regions: Europe, Balkans, Eastern Europe, Northern Europe Countries: Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia, United Kingdom

Year: 2001

Citation:

Satterthwaite, Margaret L., and Jayne C. Huckerby. 2013. Gender, National Security and Counter-Terrorism: Human Rights Perspectives. London: Routledge.

Authors: Margaret L. Satterthwaite, Jayne C. Huckerby

Abstract:

In the name of fighting terrorism, countries have been invaded; wars have been waged; people have been detained, rendered and tortured; and campaigns for "hearts and minds" have been unleashed. Human rights analyses of the counter-terrorism measures implemented in the aftermath of 11 September 2001 have assumed that men suffer the most—both numerically and in terms of the nature of rights violations endured. This assumption has obscured the ways that women, men, and sexual minorities experience counter-terrorism. By integrating gender into a human rights analysis of counter-terrorism—and human rights into a gendered analysis of counter-terrorism—this volume aims to reverse this trend. Through this variegated human rights lens, the authors in this volume identify the spectrum and nature of rights violations arising in the context of gendered counter-terrorism and national security practices. Introduced with a foreword by Martin Scheinin, former UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Counter-Terrorism, the volume examines a wide range of gendered impacts of counter-terrorism measures that have not been theorized in the leading texts on terrorism, counter-terrorism, national security, and human rights.

Topics: Armed Conflict, Gender, Gender Analysis, Rights, Human Rights, Security, Terrorism, Torture

Year: 2013