Armenia

Mainstreaming Gender in Project Operationsnot make a complaint. Notably, consumer hotlines run by water companies were said tobe more responsive than local authorities, and women were generally satisfied with thisservice.218. In developing processes by which consumers manage and monitor their water usein the home, it will be important to ensure that women are empowered to protect theirrights, especially in households affected by male out-migration. Targeted awareness raisingfor women about their consumer rights in the water supply and sanitation context may beespecially effective, as well as focus groups with women and sex-disaggregated tracking ofhelpline calls.219. Employment and management opportunities for women. Very few womenwork in the construction industry; therefore, it is unlikely that women will benefit greatlyfrom jobs related to water utility repair or meter installation unless positive measures aretaken to train and hire them. Evaluation of a USAID small-scale infrastructure project thatincluded water and gas supply is a useful case study. During the project, 920 short-termjobs were created, but only 3 women were hired directly, a result that was attributed to thefact that the jobs entailed construction work. 290220. On the other hand, compared with the construction and transport fields,women have better representation in jobs related to water supply, sewerage, and wastemanagement in the labor market. In 2011, women accounted for 24.7% of all employeesin this field, even though the industry does not represent a major employer of women. 291In the Armenia Water and Sewerage Company, 30% of employees are women, but a largeproportion deal with administrative work. 292 In top management, one of the six deputydirectors is a woman.221. Information about women’s representation in policy positions concerned withwater management and sewerage could not be obtained, but it appears that the generalpattern is similar to that of the Armenia Water and Sewerage Company. In the StateCommittee of Water Economy, no women occupy chair or advisory roles but they areinstead heading the financial-economic department and external relations division. 293222. Women’s environmental concerns over water and waste management. Focusgroup participants consistently raised issues about environmental protection in the contextof water use and sanitation. Women are well represented in civil society organizationsconcerned with ecology and the environment and have been responsible for such projectsas introducing composting toilets in schools and waste reduction in health facilities.Women’s interest in the environment is said to stem from their concern for clean water,the health of their children, and mitigating climate change. Men, on the other hand, areperceived to be primarily “motivated by money” and less interested in the long-termimpacts of natural resources use. Indeed, at a focus group in Gavar, a participant statedthat municipal garbage collection is efficient, but the truck drivers simply dump the garbageoutside of town wherever space is available, without concern for contamination.290 V. Heboyan and M. Vanoyan. 2012. Final Evaluation of the Armenia Small Scale Infrastructure Project (SSIP).Vienna, VA: InternationalBusiness and Technical Consultants. p. 7.291 Women and Men in Armenia 2012, p. 118.292 ADB. 2012. Summary Poverty Reduction and Social Strategy for the Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Project in Armenia. Manila. p. 2.293 State Committee of Water Economy. http://www.scws.am/index.php?menu1=3765