A total of 2.1 billion people lack safely managed drinking water worldwide, with women and girls bearing the heaviest burden, says the latest United Nations World Water Development Report.It said despite decades of progress, inequalities continue to compromise global water security, disproportionally impacting women and girls, who despite of being the main collectors of water, continue to be excluded from water management and leadership roles.On the World Water Day, the report noted that women and girls spend a total of 250 million hours every day collecting water, time that could otherwise be spent on education, leisure, or income-generating activities.“Women and girls are most often responsible for collecting and managing water for their households, exposing them to physical strain, lost education and livelihoods, health risks and heightened vulnerability to gender-based violence — particularly where services are unsafe or unreliable,” it said.Another key highlight of the report was that poor sanitation facilities disproportionately affect women and girls, especially in urban slums and rural areas. Lack of toilets and water for menstrual hygiene leads to shame and absenteeism, with an estimated 10 million adolescent girls (15-19), across 41 countries, missed school, work, or social activities between 2016 and 2022, it said.The report further highlighted that despite their central role in household water provision, agriculture, ecosystem stewardship and community resilience, women remain systematically underrepresented in water governance, financing, utilities and decision-making.“Gender inequalities in land and property ownership directly impact women’s access to water. Water rights are often linked to land rights, directly impacting the availability of water for productive uses such as farming. Land tenure-related laws and regulations that discriminate against women leave them at social and economic disadvantages. In some countries, men have ownership over twice the amount of land than women,” it said.The UN report noted that climate change, water scarcity and hydro-meteorological disasters were exacerbating existing gender inequalities, particularly in water-stressed and disaster-prone contexts.Gender remains a key determinant of vulnerability, shaping exposure to risk as well as access to early-warning systems, recovery support and long-term livelihood security, it said.According to the report, a 1°C rise in temperature reduces incomes in female-headed households by 34 per cent more than in male-headed households, while women’s weekly labour hours increase by an average of 55 minutes relative to men.Khaled El-Enany, UNESCO Director-General, noted that ensuring women’s participation in water management and governance was a key driver for progress and sustainable development. “We must step up efforts to safeguard women and girls’ access to water. When women have equal access to water, everyone benefits,” he said.The UN has called on countries to address the imbalance, which is leading to poorer health and worse educational prospects for women, while also affecting food security.