Women in Water-related Processes in Latin America: Current Situation and Research and Policy Proposals

This paper explores the principal themes linking the relation of gender with the water issue, either as a resource or as a service, centred in the situation of poverty which affects a significant portion of the female population in Latin America, especially in issues such as access to drinking water, community actions carried out, and methodologies elaborated in order to increase the active participation of women. In addition, new areas are considered where issues of gender analysis are starting to be applied, such as the impact of the global processes on public policies, water rights, the investments and infrastructure carried out, and the access and participation of women in the training of human resources and the processes of adoption of decisions in the sector. Finally, some central aspects for generating the mainstreaming process of the gender issue within the social, political, economic and environmental problems of water are presented.