Reflection

As this module is now coming to an end, I thought it would be useful to reflect on what I have learnt and how my blog has progressed throughout the past few months. I was immediately drawn to the topic of gender in relation to water issues in Africa as I already had pre-conceived ideas about what I might find. I expected that women would be in a disadvantaged position compared to men, and I expected that women would be excluded from decision-making processes.

However, what I have discovered over the course of this module is that my view of women’s issues in relation to water in Africa was clearly highly generalised. I have indeed explored the unfair burden of water collection for women, the disadvantaged position of female farmers in relation to water issues, and sanitation issues women experience within Africa.

Yet, I have also been forced to rethink on my own rather Eurocentric view and consider that women are not homogenous across space and actually, some women do not want female empowerment or change within their community. Additionally, I have explored how NGOs and academics can make damaging assumptions when discussing and implementing gender mainstreaming initiatives.

Furthermore, I have explored the different sides of the argument when it comes to ideas of female empowerment and have come to the conclusion that whilst female empowerment is important, it cannot be enforced on all communities using a set formula, but that each specific context must be considered on an individual basis. This particular conclusion has been potentially the most surprising revelation of this course, as previously I assumed female empowerment could only be a positive course of action in all contexts.

I have enjoyed writing my blog immensely, not least because it has allowed me to explore this topic in far greater detail and with far greater independence than other forms of assessment. I hope also that anyone who has read my blog has enjoyed my posts and I am extremely grateful for the insightful and helpful comments I have received. Ultimately, this blog has taught me that, as is the case with most topics studied in the field of Geography, there is always a greater complexity to the issue than was first considered.