However, it is crucial to ask if concerns of efficiency in neoliberal models of water provision are biased against women.
Parties who advocate for the involvement of the private sector in water provision highlight the potential of water prices to improve water allocation, efficiency, and resource conservation. Water tariffs incentivise Africans to use water more efficiently. However, could this concept of efficiency be a Eurocentric one? What we consider essential uses of water may as well be extravagant for African communities.
For instance, research has shown that women especially forgo uses of water to do with sanitation, for instance hand washing, in favour of saving the water for other uses such as water, given the sheer labour involved with collecting water. In this sense, it is likely that women disproportionately take on the burden of "saving" water to save on water costs, precisely because it is women who bear the consequences of these costs.
Where women and children spend hours of walking with heavy jerrycans of water, it seems almost foolish to use them where the benefits seem trivial or not immediate. There are so many other health risks - open defecation, inadequate waste disposal, poor healthcare - so much so that to spend precious water on what may seem more urgent and in control seems far more wise.
Furthermore, the free market is inherently inequitable, for the ability to vote with one's dollar is deeply contingent on a host of factors controlled by a host of agents. Even where property and capital is accounted for in wealth, there are so many structural barriers inhibiting women and the poor from accessing this capital, for instance the exclusion of women from owning land tenures even where they might be recognised as the main carers for the land.
Parties who advocate for the involvement of the private sector in water provision highlight the potential of water prices to improve water allocation, efficiency, and resource conservation. Water tariffs incentivise Africans to use water more efficiently. However, could this concept of efficiency be a Eurocentric one? What we consider essential uses of water may as well be extravagant for African communities.
For instance, research has shown that women especially forgo uses of water to do with sanitation, for instance hand washing, in favour of saving the water for other uses such as water, given the sheer labour involved with collecting water. In this sense, it is likely that women disproportionately take on the burden of "saving" water to save on water costs, precisely because it is women who bear the consequences of these costs.
Where women and children spend hours of walking with heavy jerrycans of water, it seems almost foolish to use them where the benefits seem trivial or not immediate. There are so many other health risks - open defecation, inadequate waste disposal, poor healthcare - so much so that to spend precious water on what may seem more urgent and in control seems far more wise.
Furthermore, the free market is inherently inequitable, for the ability to vote with one's dollar is deeply contingent on a host of factors controlled by a host of agents. Even where property and capital is accounted for in wealth, there are so many structural barriers inhibiting women and the poor from accessing this capital, for instance the exclusion of women from owning land tenures even where they might be recognised as the main carers for the land.
Hi! Interesting post, I have found that this is an interesting point that has not been researched much. Do you think that the general movement of greater womens roles in corporate firms will make a difference? E.g. if there are more women directors and CEOs in these international water companies that they will make a greater connection to the role of women and their importance?
ReplyDeleteGreat post!
Interesting insight, are you delving deeper into this topic later? and do you have references to back up the last two sentences?
ReplyDeleteThis post gives a lot to think about. I would love to see you dive deeper into this topic more and maybe lay out the concrete differences between the role of gender in public and private sector water provision. Cape Town's Day Zero is a good example of water tariffs encouraging an increase in water use efficiency.
ReplyDeleteNo replies to comments? You start an interesting post here with a good question. Will you explore this further? Engage with evidence from the peer-reviewed literature?
ReplyDelete