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Women’s Collective Action and Sustainable Water Management: Case of SEWA’s Water Campaign in Gujarat, India

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  • Panda, Smita Mishra

Abstract

This paper discusses the Self Employed Women’s Association’s (SEWA) Women, Water and Work Campaign which organizes women’s collective action in Gujarat, India to sustain local water management. Some of the significant factors that have sustained women’s collective action are the presence of strong grassroots institutions, the establishment of a technical cadre of women, the ability of women’s groups to transcend social barriers and continuous dialoguing with the state. Women have benefited in terms of increased income, reduced drudgery, improvements in the livelihoods of their families, reduced migration of both women and men and increased participation in SEWA’s other programs. The most important impact observed is the strengthening of women’s collective agency and women’s confidence to independently negotiate in the public domain in the water management sector, which was earlier occupied by men. Women’s collective agency has catalyzed some gender-equitable change processes at the household level among SEWA leaders but the impacts are not yet widespread.

Suggested Citation

  • Panda, Smita Mishra, 2006. "Women’s Collective Action and Sustainable Water Management: Case of SEWA’s Water Campaign in Gujarat, India," CAPRi Working Papers 50065, CGIAR, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:capriw:50065
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.50065
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    File URL: https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/50065/files/capriwp61.pdf
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    1. Agarwal, Bina, 2000. "Conceptualising Environmental Collective Action: Why Gender Matters," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 24(3), pages 283-310, May.
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    1. Pandolfelli, Lauren & Meinzen-Dick, Ruth Suseela & Dohrn, Stephan, 2007. "Gender and collective action: A conceptual framework for analysis," CAPRi Working Papers 47667, CGIAR, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).

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