Gender, Ethnicity and Participatory Shortfalls in Water Governance in the Mekong Delta: A Case Study from the Transboundary Wetlands of An Giang Province, Vietnam

Inclusive participation is widely recognised as a prerequisite for effective and equitable water governance. However, the extent to which women are able to participate meaningfully in water management institutions remains poorly understood in many Southeast Asian countries. This study critically examines women’s participation in irrigation governance institutions in the context of Vietnam’s Mekong Delta using an intersectional gender framework and a qualitative typology of participation. Drawing on ethnographic field data from a district bordering Cambodia, the research explores how gender intersects with ethnicity, and how cultural norms limit genuine inclusive participation. The findings reveal a significant gap between women’s nominal presence in meetings and other management activities and their substantive involvement in decision-making processes. Meaningful participation in formal irrigation institutions was mostly observed as passive or tokenistic. Decision-making authority remains concentrated among male actors within hierarchical governance structures. The study identified a range of barriers, including unequal care responsibilities, language constraints affecting Khmer women, institutional bias, and cultural perceptions of water management as a masculine and technical domain. These factors collectively limit women’s ability to participate fully and influence governance outcomes. The findings show that representation alone does not ensure inclusion and underscores the need for more gender-responsive, culturally inclusive policies that address structural inequalities.