Access to clean and safe water is a prerequisite to meeting basic human rights. Water is essential for all productive activities in Egypt in the agricultural sector and related sectors, including industry, trade and energy generation. Agriculture is a key sector in the Egyptian economy, contributing 11.3 percent to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and providing livelihoods for 57.2 percent of the population. The engagement of Egyptian women in agricultural and related activities, including irrigation and water management, is significant, accounting for almost 45 percent of the official workforce, while more than 50 percent are engaged informally in fertilization, irrigation, weeding, harvesting, post-harvesting, animal care, sacking, marketing and storage of agricultural products. The economic contribution of women to agricultural and irrigation activities and to the livelihoods, well-being and food security of families and communities is often unrecognized, invisible and mostly undervalued. Moreover, the role of women in fetching, preserving and managing productive and non-productive water often goes unrecognized and understudied. This assessment aims to shed light on the different contributions and benefits of women and men in relation to agricultural roles, responsibilities and resources, focusing mainly on productive agricultural resources, including water, to inform more efficient, equitable and gender responsive programmes in the future in the context of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) project. The assessment concluded that culture and prevailing gender and social norms played a major role in shaping gender identities, roles and responsibilities, and influencing access to and control over agricultural and water resources. In Egypt, women are mostly assigned housekeeping responsibilities, unpaid jobs and care work, and this in turn hinders their ability to engage in paid work or education, or to be seen as main contributors to rural development rather than “helpers” of their male relatives. The findings showed that both agricultural and irrigation activities have a significant female face. Due to economic hardship and the need for women’s help and contribution, men and women are forced to make trade-offs between economic and social costs, negotiating gender roles and making compromises with social norms, which allows for more space for women in male-dominated spheres. As previous studies confirm, this assessment also concludes that women’s ability to enjoy land and water rights is affected by various factors, including their own level of economic empowerment, employment, their income and financial savings, access to credit and extension services, and participation in decision-making inside and outside the household. The findings suggest that women’s meaningful participation in agriculture, irrigation and domestic water can be enhanced through adopting various strategies to empower women on an economic, social, legal and policy level. Below is a summary of recommendations for improving future programmes, project implementation and policy formulation, for the Egyptian Government, staff from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and project and partner staff.