Beginning with colonial times and continuing to the present, irrigation has been an important site for the construction of gendered power and hegemonic masculinities. The strong connection between masculinities and irrigation cultures may provide an important explanation of why hydraulic bureaucracies are so resistant to change. The continued masculinity of irrigation requires critical investigation of masculinities, technology and organisations. Such studies will serve both as a first step to creating more space for women engineers in government water agencies, and contribute to unravelling important aspects of the cultural politics of water.