Where Water Flows, Equality Grows

How water and gender intersect, and the steps businesses can take

Associate Director

North America

Global Lead for Nature

North America

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Every year on 22 March, World Water Day draws attention to the reality that water is not simply a free resource. Access to water is a human right and a foundation for gender equality. The 2026 theme, “Where water flows, equality grows”, calls for a global rebalancing that places women and girls at the centre of decisions about water access, water management, and long-term resilience.

1.8bn

people still lack safe drinking water globally

250M

hours spent daily by women & girls collecting water

380M

women & girls facing high or critical water stress

2/3

of households globally rely on women for water collection

Today, 1.8 billion people still lack drinking water, and in two out of three households globally, women and girls are responsible for collecting water for domestic use. They spend 250 million hours collecting water worldwide per day – time that could otherwise be spent on education, income-generating activities, and even leisure or play. Travelling to collect water and use sanitation facilities can also put their safety and well-being at risk.

Climate change is deepening these inequalities. Globally, 380 million women and girls already live with high or critical water stress, a number expected to nearly double by 2050. Many of these water-stressed regions are also critical for agriculture and other raw materials, manufacturing, and corporate operations – and without healthy and resilient communities, value chains are at risk.

The global water crisis affects everyone, but not equally. Addressing it requires integrated solutions that support nature, strengthen communities, and advance gender equality.

Why water and gender must be addressed together

Water access is a gender issue. It shapes:

Health. 156 million adolescent girls still lack basic hygiene services, compromising their health, wellbeing, and dignity.
Education. Time spent collecting water reduces school attendance for girls and limits future opportunities, including employability – further exacerbating gender inequality.
Economic empowerment. Water stress restricts women’s participation in employment and local decision-making.
Safety. Long journeys to collect water or to access toilets can increase exposure to violence and exploitation.

Where water inequality has the deepest impact

Health & hygiene 156M girls

Safe water access 1.8bn people

Climate water stress 380M women

Daily time burden 250M hrs/day

Drought exposure 1.5bn women

Bar lengths are illustrative relative weights, not percentages of a single total. Source: World Water Day 2026.

At the same time, water is critical for businesses to function and grow. Water risk threatens operations, supply chains, regulatory compliance, and brand reputation and local license to operate.

Integrated, nature-based, community-driven solutions can be powerful accelerators of gender equality.

Practical steps businesses can take to support water security and gender equality

The following actions reflect the evidence from global water and gender research, together with practical pathways that any organisation can adopt to create measurable impact.

1. Assess water risks in high-exposure regions and identify WASH impacts

Businesses can begin by assessing and reducing their water impacts and dependencies across their value chains.

This can be achieved through activities such as:

Conducting materiality assessments to understand where water issues intersect with social impacts, including gender issues.
Developing water inventories for operations and supply chains to identify where the company’s water impacts are highest.
Carrying out basin- and site-level water risk assessments to identify supply chain and operational regions that face water challenges, including Water Access, Sanitation, and & Hygiene (WASH) risks.
Overlaying water inventories with risk assessments to prioritise where high water impacts from business activities intersect with water stress and community wellbeing.
Pursuing risk assessments that account for WASH and gender supports responsible, people-centred interventions.

2. Strengthen water stewardship across operations and value chains

With 1.5 billion women and girls living in countries experiencing high or very high drought exposure, responsible water management is both a human rights and a business imperative. Businesses can:

Develop water management strategies, policies, and action plans for improved water management and WASH services in prioritised regions facing high water risks.
Develop science- and context-based water targets that consider the social and economic realities faced by communities – and particularly, women and girls – in high water stress areas.
Invest in collective action to support locally-led initiatives and organisations, including women’s groups, to improve WASH access, community water resilience, and watershed health.

3. Engage and support suppliers to improve social and environmental outcomes

Women play essential roles in agriculture, manufacturing and production for many industries globally, yet they frequently lack equal access to resources, training, and sufficient sanitation and hygiene services in their places of work or their homes, which can lead to reduced productivity and absenteeism.

Businesses can strengthen supply chain responsibility by:

Engaging with supplier leadership, site managers, and/or workers on the importance of responsible water management and provision of WASH services.
Collecting robust data from suppliers to fully understand environmental and social practices.
Increasing transparency around labour conditions, WASH provisions, human rights, and environmental impacts.
Providing training and capacity building that is accessible and inclusive.
Encouraging gender-responsive worker engagement throughout supply chains.

Improved supplier practices contribute to better watershed health and more equitable opportunities for women.

4. Integrate water into financial decision-making

Water dependency and gender-related water issues should be reflected in business planning and investment decisions. By evaluating water risks within a facility and the associated financial costs, companies can quantify the potential local economic, environmental, and societal impacts associated with water use. This uncovers insights into the potential financial impacts of sites’ water-related risks and facilitates decision-making and risk management measures – including those that may impact surrounding communities.

Organisations can:

Evaluate the true costs of water, including water treatment, supply, water quality impacts, and local scarcity.
Prioritise investments that improve water efficiency and avoid causing additional water stress, including where women and girls are most affected.
Align capital expenditure with watershed resilience and community needs.
Incorporate water valuation into decision-making processes to ensure long-term business continuity and positive community outcomes.

5. Invest in nature-based solutions and protect forests to safeguard water systems

Nature-based solutions involve protecting, restoring, and sustainably managing a variety of different types of ecosystems, including forests, mangroves, and freshwater and marine environments. Nature-based solutions regulate water flows, improve water quality, and help buffer communities from climate-driven extremes.

Businesses should support water security for women and vulnerable groups by:

Investigating, monitoring, and addressing deforestation and climate risks within their supply chains.
Conducting targeted risk assessments to understand environmental and social impacts associated with raw material sourcing and overlaying these analyses with water assessments to understand the bigger picture.
Increasing transparency and traceability to reduce exposure to environmental harm and human rights violations.
Ensuring sourcing policies align with evolving regulations such as the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) and Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD).

By protecting forests and other ecosystems, companies help maintain the natural water systems on which communities, particularly rural women, depend.

Towards a water secure, equitable future

The message of World Water Day 2026 is unmistakable. Investing in women means investing in water, and investing in water means investing in a fairer and more resilient world.

Businesses play a vital role in this transformation. By reducing water-related impacts, strengthening supply chain transparency, supporting community resilience, protecting watersheds and forests, and advancing gender equality, organisations can help create a more secure future for all.

Where water flows, equality grows. Together, we can help ensure that both continue to flourish.

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