Women and Water Management in Central Asia: Exploring Participation and Regional Differences

Authors

  • Zulfiya Kannazarova

    Department of Agricultural Machinery Technologies, Tashkent Institute of Irrigation and Agricultural Mechanization Engineers, National Research University, Tashkent 100000, Uzbekistan

    Department of Environmental Sciences and Sustainable Development, Central Asian University of Environmental and Climate Change Studies, Green University, Darkhan 111104, Uzbekistan
  • Meruyert Seidumanova

    School of Social Sciences and Transformative, Almaty Management University, Almaty 050060, Kazakhstan
  • Madina Mussayeva

    Office of Knowledge Dissemination, Seifullin Kazakh Agrotechnical Research University, Astana 010000, Kazakhstan
  • Eldiiar Duulatov

    Institute of Geology, National Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic, Bishkek 720040, Kyrgyzstan
  • Kuanysh Uzbekov

    Graduate School of Business Sciences, University of Tsukuba, National University Corporation, Tsukuba 305-8577, Japan
  • Odinakhon Pulatova

    Department of Environmental Sciences and Sustainable Development, Central Asian University of Environmental and Climate Change Studies, Green University, Darkhan 111104, Uzbekistan
  • Rukhsora Khudayberganova

    Research Institute of Environment and Nature Conservation Technologies, Tashkent 100043, Uzbekistan
  • Malika Kushbokova

    Research Institute of Environment and Nature Conservation Technologies, Tashkent 100043, Uzbekistan
  • Kundiz Nisanbayeva

    Research Institute of Environment and Nature Conservation Technologies, Tashkent 100043, Uzbekistan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/re.v8i4.13238
Received: 3 March 2026 | Revised: 25 April 2026 | Accepted: 29 April 2026 | Published Online: 22 July 2026

Abstract

Women across Central Asia play essential roles in agriculture, water management, and climate adaptation; however, gendered vulnerabilities and institutional constraints continue to shape unequal access to land, water, training, and decision-making processes. This study examines the role of women in water management across Central Asia, focusing on the intersection of gender inequality, water governance, and climate change. The study employs a systematic literature review, combined with thematic analysis of 20 peer-reviewed articles published between 2011 and 2025 in the Scopus database. The findings identify key recurring themes, including the feminization of agriculture, institutional barriers to women’s participation, and increased climate vulnerability in water-scarce regions such as the Aral Sea Basin. The analysis reveals that despite policy recognition of gender equality, structural constraints-such as limited access to resources, decision-making power, and institutional support-continue to hinder women’s effective participation in water governance. The study contributes by providing a structured synthesis of fragmented regional literature and highlighting context-specific challenges in Central Asia. However, the study is limited by the relatively small dataset and reliance on published literature, suggesting the need for further empirical research.

Keywords:

Women; Water Management; Climate; Livelihood; Central Asia

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How to Cite

Kannazarova, Z., Seidumanova, M., Mussayeva, M., Duulatov, E., Uzbekov, K., Pulatova, O., Khudayberganova, R., Kushbokova, M., & Nisanbayeva, K. (2026). Women and Water Management in Central Asia: Exploring Participation and Regional Differences. Research in Ecology, 8(4), 107–125. https://doi.org/10.30564/re.v8i4.13238

Issue

Vol.8, Iss.4 (August 2026): In Progress

Article Type

Review

License

Copyright © 2026 Zulfiya Kannazarova, Meruyert Seidumanova, Madina Mussayeva, Eldiiar Duulatov, Kuanysh Uzbekov, Odinakhon Pulatova, Rukhsora Khudayberganova, Malika Kushbokova, Kundiz Nisanbayeva

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This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License.

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