Which individual- and household-level characteristics help to explain women’s non-participation in local water governance? Evidence from Bangladesh

The institutional rules and social dynamics of organizations and communities have received considerable attention as explanations for gender disparities in participation in community-based water management; thus, we examine the individual- and household-level mediators of women’s non-participation. We advance theories about several such factors that may partially explain gender disparities in participation in water management organizations (WMOs). Using individual-level data from a nationally representative survey of WMO participants and non-participants in rural Bangladesh, we find preliminary evidence consistent with the theory that women’s lack of decision-making autonomy in the household and lack of access to agricultural information explain a sizable share of women’s non-participation in WMOs. We fail to find evidence in support of hypotheses that time poverty or perceptions of efficacy have such effects. These findings advance understandings of gender inequalities in participation and also suggest that policy reforms and interventions outside the area of water governance may help to narrow gender disparities in participation if they address certain disadvantages that women face outside the context of the WMO.

agricultural information access · community water management · gender disparities · Gender inequality · local water governance · perceived efficacy · rural Bangladesh · time poverty · water management organizations · women's participation · Gender, Education, and Development Issues · Water Governance and Infrastructure · Water Resource Management and Quality