Unequal Flows: Tourism, Gender, and Water Insecurity on San Andrés, Colombia

Abstract

Under current climate change and global warming projections, small islands are expected to experience a doubling of water-related natural hazards, which will hamper lives and livelihoods by straining existing freshwater resources and exacerbating water insecurity. On San Andrés, a small Caribbean Island under Colombian jurisdiction, the rapid and unregulated expansion of tourism development places additional pressure on the already fragile water system, exacerbating inequalities in distribution. This paper explores the links between tourism development, water insecurity, and gender. It argues that the prioritization of water for tourism development at the expense of the local populations has differential impacts on men and women, as women have traditionally been socialised and assigned the responsibility of caring for the home. This responsibility includes a set of inherently water-demanding tasks, as well as domestic water supply and management. As a result, in situations of crisis, women are often the first to bear the consequences of fluctuations in water, both in terms of quantity and quality.

This paper examines how women in the New Guinee neighbourhood experience and respond to water insecurity in their daily lives, particularly in the context of the tourism economy that prioritises water access for hotels and other businesses over local needs. Drawing on Feminist Political Ecology and Emotional Geographies, the paper builds on water diaries, body mapping exercises, archival research, participatory workshops, and expert interviews. Crucially, this research was conducted in collaboration with 12 community research assistants—women from the neighbourhood—who played an active role in data collection. The first part of this text documents how freshwater is distributed between the tourist and residential areas. The second delves into how water is accessed and managed domestically. The final section explores the embodied experiences of women while accessing and managing water. It, thus, analyses how tourism development shapes the everyday lives of women through water.