Women’s participation in water policies, Ouro Preto, MG, Brazil.

Abstract

Although there is an expressive number of legal norms in order to combat gender inequality in all sectors, inequalities persist, which also occurs in water management. In order to fill this gap, the participation of women in councils and decision-making in relation to water resources is one of the main ways of guaranteeing access to water in a more equal way. Their participation also enables empowerment, providing them with greater possibility of exercising power and citizenship in the public space, as well as greater legitimacy of legal rules and greater effectiveness of public policies. In this work, the case study was carried out with counselors and workers working in water management in Ouro Preto/MG. Data were collected through interviews and analyzed. Data analysis pointed to the need to increase the participation of women in organizations and councils, both in number and in the occupation of positions responsible by decision-making. The struggle to overcome differences is not an exclusive struggle from women, but also from men, co-authors and builders of social transformations.