Gender guidelines : water supply and sanitation : supplement to the guide to gender and development

Promoting equal opportunities for women and men as participants and beneficiaries of development is the goal of Australia's gender and development policy. WSS projects are increasingly demand-driven. Projects have to be responsive to the articulated demands of users. If women play a minor role in community decision-making, they may well be marginalised under a demand-driven approach unless steps are taken to include them.

This document provides guidelines for promoting equal opportunities for men and women in the area of water supply and sanitation and promotes equal opportunities for women and men as participants and beneficiaries of development. Addressing the different priorities of men and women in WSS activities is expected to improve the quality and sustainability of WSS projects.

It contains explanation and interpretation of the guiding principles, design requirements, implementation and monitoring, and gender analysis in the field. It also offers comprehensive references and resource suggestions : manuals, sourcebooks and Internet sites on gender, water supply and sanitation, on lessons learned, information on gender issues and gender planning in general and resources on participatory methods in WSS. Key guiding questions are proposed, with examples of practical responses and actions, to be used as a guide to incorporate gender perspective into WSS activity preparation and design in all phases of the project.