Women and girls bearing brunt of water shortages globally, UN warns

"Women are responsible for collecting water in more than 70% of rural households that do not have access to mains water across the developing world. Women and girls collectively spend 250m hours a day collecting water globally. The climate crisis is exacerbating the problem, according to a new report from the UN."

"A 1C rise in temperature reduces incomes in female-headed households by 34% more than in male-headed ones, while also causing women's weekly labour hours to increase by an average of 55 minutes relative to men's."

"Ensuring women's participation in water management and governance is a key driver for progress and sustainable development. We must step up efforts to safeguard women and girls' access to water. When women have equal access to water, everyone benefits."

"We need women and men to manage water side by side as a common good that benefits the whole of society. Poor sanitation disproportionately affects women, with an estimated 10 million adolescent girls in 40 lower-income countries surveyed in one study missing school."

Women and girls in developing countries face severe water access challenges, with women responsible for collecting water in over 70% of rural households lacking mains water. Globally, women and girls spend 250 million hours daily on water collection. Climate change intensifies this burden, reducing incomes in female-headed households by 34% more than male-headed ones while increasing women's weekly labor hours by 55 minutes relative to men's. These disparities harm women's health, education, and food security. The UN emphasizes that equal water access and women's participation in water management are essential for sustainable development. However, many countries lack sex-disaggregated data on water access, hindering comprehensive understanding of the problem and slowing progress toward solutions.

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