Global Water Crisis Worsened by Gender Inequality, UN Report Finds

Paris/New York – The global water crisis is being significantly aggravated by persistent gender inequalities, which disproportionately impact women and girls worldwide, according to the newly released United Nations World Water Development Report, published by UNESCO on behalf of UN-Water.

Despite decades of progress on water security, the report highlights that inequalities continue to compromise global efforts, with women and girls bearing the heaviest burden. It reveals that women are responsible for collecting water in over 70% of unserved rural households. This time commitment is staggering: globally, women and girls spend a total of 250 million hours every day collecting water, time that could otherwise be dedicated to education, income-generating activities, or leisure. Girls under 15 are nearly twice as likely as boys under 15 to fetch water.

The Heavy Burden on Women and Girls

The report, titled Water for All People: Equal Rights and Opportunities, warns that 2.1 billion people still lack safely managed drinking water. For women and girls, this lack of access translates into severe consequences:

• Lost Opportunity and Health Risks: The responsibility for collecting water leads to physical strain, lost education and livelihoods, and significant health risks.
• Vulnerability to Violence: Unsafe or unreliable water services heighten vulnerability to gender-based violence.
• Poor Sanitation: Lack of toilets and water for menstrual hygiene is a major factor in absenteeism, with an estimated 10 million adolescent girls (15–19) across 41 countries missing school, work, or social activities between 2016 and 2022.
• Climate Change Impact: Climate change and water scarcity are further exacerbating these gaps. A 1°C rise in temperature reduces incomes in female-headed households by 34% more than in male-headed households, and women’s weekly labour hours increase by an average of 55 minutes.

Exclusion from Leadership

Beyond the daily burden of collection, the report stresses that women remain systematically underrepresented in water governance, financing, utilities, and decision-making roles, despite their central role in household water provision and community resilience. Available data shows that in low- and middle-income countries, fewer than one in five water workers are women, and they are typically paid less than their male counterparts.

A Call for Action to Bridge the Gaps

The report provides concrete recommendations to drive meaningful and sustainable progress:

• Remove Barriers: Eliminate legal, institutional, and financial barriers to women’s equal rights to water, land, and services.
• Gender-Responsive Financing: Scale up gender‑responsive financing and budgeting with strong accountability mechanisms.
• Invest in Data: Invest in sex‑disaggregated water data to expose inequalities and guide effective policy.
• Strengthen Leadership: Strengthen women’s leadership and technical capacity, particularly in scientific and technical fields of water governance.
• Value Unpaid Labor: Acknowledge and value unpaid water‑related labour in planning, pricing, and investment decisions.

In response to the findings, Khaled El-Enany, UNESCO’s Director General, stated, “Ensuring women’s participation in water management and governance is a key driver for progress and sustainable development… when women have equal access to water, everyone benefits.” Alvaro Lario, Chair of UN-Water, added, “It is time to fully recognize the central role of women and girls in water solutions – as users, leaders and professionals.”

The United Nations World Water Development Report is released annually in the context of World Water Day.

VICK