Contextual Engendering of Water and Climate Adaptation in Developing Countries

The need to find sustainable solutions to the gender-specific burden in developing countriesDeveloping countries requires context-specific engendering of the water and climateWater and Climate sector. This study aimed to address the inadequate contextual gender mainstreaming of water and climateWater and Climate programmes to promote adaptationAdaptation for societal and economic development in South Asia (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka) and Southern Africa (Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, and South AfricaSouth Africa). This is a secondary desktop review study augmented with the collection and analysis of data sourced from publicly accessible databases. The engendering was contextualized in line with three indicators (“the interconnected dots”), namely (1) water–climate linkages, (2) governance and policy systems, and (3) multi-stakeholder partnerships in the water–climate programmes. South Asia and Southern Africa have the highest female proportion of the total economically active population (49–68%, and 55–66%, respectively). However, relatively, high rate of unemployment among females was observed as a hindrance to the engendering process. The Women, Business, and Law (WBL) Index scores for South Asia range from 26 to 72 (below the global average of 76.5), and Southern Africa, 38 to 88. The representation of women in national parliaments varies in terms of the proportion of seats they hold, ranging from 4.9 to 27.7% in South Asia, and, 6.2 to 42.8% in Southern Africa. The proportion of women in ministerial-level positions has fluctuated between 0 and 22% in South Asia and, 12 and 48% in Southern Africa for the past fifteen years. The presence of women in decision-making processes alone is inadequate to ensure meaningful advancements in gender mainstreaming. For both regions, the law guarantees equal access to property yet, in practice, gender inequality in land and assets ownership, and inheritance exists. Analysis of the gender aspects of selected national water policies also showed that in most cases, gender issues are not considered in water management policies.