The Study of Factors Affecting the Participation of Rural Women in Water Consumption Management in Minab County

Today, water scarcity and pollution have endangered the lives of millions of earth's inhabitants, especially in poor countries. According to statistics, 80% of the world's population have access to only 20% of safe and healthy water supplies. Water-borne illnesses are also the cause of many deaths in poor countries. Thus, with over-harvesting and contamination of water resources, the global water crisis will escalate and political and social tensions will increase in the global arena, especially in arid and semiarid countries (Maleki et al., 2014). Increasing demand for water has put pressure on water supply systems and this has created environmental problems such as overuse of water resources and disrupting the ecological balance (Rafizadeh, 2015). The country uses about 150 billion cubic meters of surface and ground water resources annually, which now accounts for more than 60 percent of water capacity for various uses. According to global indices of a country that consumes more than 40% of its water resources, it has entered a phase of water stress, so Iran has entered this phase, an event that will likely lead to serious crises if the current trend of consumption and non-implementation of compensatory policies continues (Sabet Raftar, 2002: 3).

The research method of this research was survey. The research tool was a questionnaire and 300 people were selected to determine the sample size based on Cochran formula. The sampling method was multi-stage cluster random sampling. Face and structural validities were used to determine the validity of the research questionnaire. Cronbach's alpha method was used to determine the validity and reliability of the research. SPSS software was used for data analysis. The data analysis was descriptive-analytical performed in two levels of descriptive and inferential statistics.

The results showed that the subjective participation of the respondents with an average of 3.80 indicated a high level of participation, with 63.7% of the respondents saying that they were mentally high and 2.7% were very low. The research data showed that the objective participation of women was moderate (mean 3.16). The frequency distribution of the respondents showed that 39.7% of the respondents stated that they were objectively average. The data showed that overall female participation was moderate (Mean= 3.21).The results of regression analysis showed that the research variables explain 22.2% of changes in the participation of rural women. The highest impact on the dependent variable was for the organizational support variable, followed by traditional values ​​and norms, and the income variable was the third most influential factor on women's participation.The results showed that the respondents were relatively mentally prepared to participate in water use management, but had a low level of objective and practical participation. On the other hand, some organizations such as Water and Wastewater, Agricultural Jihad, councils and other relevant bodies offer programs and measures to encourage women to increase the participation of rural women in water consumption management. It can be in the form of lectures, numerous meetings with women, distributing brochures and encouraging actions to manage water consumption.The findings also showed that traditional values ​​and norms are a major obstacle to women's active participation in water consumption management. Traditional norms and beliefs limit the role and presence of women in the society and women are not allowed to attend meetings, lectures, and conferences. Due to patriarchal culture, men are the main decision makers in many areas and women do not play much role in the decision-making process, and women are threatened and punished if they do not follow the norms and traditions. Therefore, one of the serious challenges of active women's participation is the power of rural beliefs and traditions that do not allow women to participate actively in decision-making in the field of water and face limitations, and this prevents them from actively participating.