<p>The purpose is to reduce the odor of a water-absorbable resin produced during the absorption of water. Disclosed is a process for production of a water-absorbable resin by subjecting a water-soluble ethylenically unsaturated monomer to the reverse phase suspension polymerization. The process comprises the following steps (A) to (C): (A) adding an aqueous solution of the water-soluble ethylenically unsaturated monomer to a petroleum-derived hydrocarbon dispersion medium to disperse the aqueous solution in the dispersion medium; (B) adding a surfactant to the dispersion solution to further disperse the surfactant in the dispersion solution; and (C) performing the reverse phase suspension polymerization using a water-soluble radical polymerization initiator optionally in the presence of an internal crosslinking agent.</p>
