The United Nations and World Water Vision had declared that every woman, man and child must have access to safe and adequate water, sanitation and food, and also be responsible for ensuring maintenance of the ecosystem. Governments were urged to involve interest groups in all levels of decision and policy-making, and to establish and strengthen mechanisms at national, regional and international levels to facilitate the required participation of women. However, how far the mainstreaming gender in water resource issues has actually taken place is debatable. This book is divided into four parts and considers global discourses on water; water culture and the economy; water, time and place; and water, women and agency. It highlights the achievements and failures, in both developed countries and developing countries, and urges the mainstreaming of gender in the water sector. The objectives of the exploration are to ponder upon the various relationships between gender and water, to examine various gender issues in water resource management, generate awareness about these issues, and to mainstream gender in water-related decision-making in the North and the South. The book will be of immediate interest to academics, development planners, administrators, educators, activists and water scientists.