Water Fetching Responsibilities Reveal Unequal Gender Dynamics: Elevates Need for Expansion of On-Site WASH Facilities

May 10, 2020
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Women in low-income households have limited access to financial services and educational opportunities, which in turn restricts their ability to tap into the labor market and cements their role as caretakers of the household. In other words, poverty likely reinforces gender roles in the household, and this is evidenced by disparities in water-fetching responsibilities.  

The unequal distribution of water-fetching responsibilities not only has a financial toll on women, but also a physical one. A study on the health impacts of fetching water in Ghana, South Africa and Vietnam revealed that those who were previously or are currently responsible for fetching water were more likely to report pain in multiple areas of the body including their hands, upper back, head, chest, abdomen and feet. The repeated stress put on the body from carrying water, and the pain it causes, may also contribute to longer-term disabilities and musculoskeletal diseases.