Gendered Water Stewardship in Jordan and the influence of Women’s Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices on Sustainability

Water scarcity in Jordan is among the most severe globally, yet its social and gendered dimensions remain underexplored. This study examines how women’s knowledge, attitudes, and practices shape water sustainability in Jordan’s water-scarce context, expanding the traditional Knowledge–Attitude–Practice (KAP) model through the lens of Water Stewardship. Drawing on twenty-seven semi-structured interviews with women and institutional stakeholders, the research adopts a qualitative interpretivist approach informed by feminist political ecology. The findings reveal that women’s knowledge of water scarcity in Jordan is deeply experiential and multi-dimensional, integrating both normative values—such as moral, cultural, and religious obligations to conserve water—and instrumental understandings shaped by the country’s political, economic, and technological realities. Despite their central role in managing household water, women remain marginalized in decision-making and excluded from governance structures. The study argues that recognizing women’s stewardship—an ethic of care, reciprocity, and responsibility—can advance gender-inclusive water governance and sustainable development goal 6 (clean water and sanitation). By amplifying women’s lived experiences, this paper redefines sustainability as both a normative and instrumental project, grounded in equity, justice, and everyday practice.