Contrasting views on women and individual water rights: A case study in South Africa

Abstract

Access to productive water in South Africa is racially skewed. Only 5% of individual water access rights are available to blacks while the other 95%, are owned and controlled by whites. The national water allocation reform strategy that was meant to address water access inequalities added a gendered dimension to the redress process which complicated matters by applying gender as a priority for black communities only. While questioning the feasibility of the gendered approach, the article also interrogates the concept of individual rights for women in a context where the collective is prioritised over the individual. The theories of justice and deconstruction are utilized to explore how justice can be realized while also re-interpreting feminist constructions of women and resource access. A qualitative approach is employed to gather perspectives on gendered water allocations. Findings from literature reviews and consultations revealed that there is no consensus on individual water rights for women. The article recommends that policy takes contexts into account rather than prescribing one-size-fits-all solutions.