Presenter: Megan Burke, master’s student, UO Department of Philosophy; M.A., Women’s Studies, San Diego State University.

Megan Burke teaches first graders in a spring 2010 CSWS Road Scholars presentation.

Five years ago, the U.S. consumer believed bottled water to be the safest form of drinking water. But where does that water come from? In some cases, major corporations have purchased water rights in developing nations and barred access to free water, putting women and their communities in jeopardy. Women’s work is integrally linked to water and the need for free access to it. It is women and girls who are both responsible for providing water to households and who, due to economic disparity between women and men, rely on free, safe drinking water. This discussion-based presentation will address the need to consider the use and production of bottled water and how it affects women and girls around the globe.