Water, Gender and Development in Africa

So far, this blog has discussed how gender and water are related and has explored the consequences of this relationship. A common denominator for many of the issues we have discussed has been cultural norms. Therefore, all solutions proposed, regardless of their size and scale, must consider cultural norms. Thus, I suggest that solutions should start by addressing and challenging social taboos. Taboos are found everywhere, irrespective of development, culture, or class, and this can span from taboos surrounding sexuality, money, or even asking a woman’s age. I would like to focus on two – the taboo of shit and the taboo of periods. Taboo of shit There is an unspoken social rule which restricts how we talk about sanitation. The act of going to the toilet is a private practice and one that is somewhat unhygienic, so does not require attention or discussion. You go, you do, you leave. What more is there to talk about? This social awkwardness around talking about toilets has a wider im...

Apologies for my language, but who really gives a shit about shit? Following rapid population growth, the African Development Bank (AfDB) projects that Africa’s  population will increase from 1 billion in 2010 to 1.6 billion in 2030 . This rapid growth has outgrown the rate of infrastructural construction. This problem is made worse by the increased number of informal settlements, inadequate governance, poor urban planning, and limited access to water sources. Due to this, approximately 900 million people worldwide are still forced to defecate in the open because they do not have access to a toilet. This is shocking given that sustainable development goal 6 focuses on sanitation and access to toilets. What about those who do have access? I hope that by now I have shown that simply having the physical infrastructure available is not enough! Access to toilets is not contingent on having the infrastructure, instead, this can be affected by maintenance, location, and opening ho...

Aside from domestic use, water is essential in industry, particularly in agriculture. Water scarcity or variability in water availability impacts  farming in different ways,  from delaying farming operations to causing crop failure. For many,  farming is part of  their livelihood,  but on a more national scale, it is an important economic sector, employing over  50% of the African population . Although women represent  approximately 50% of the labour force in this sector , they are restricted by cultural and societal expectations. Despite the energy and time that women invest in agriculture, their output and yield remain lower compared to males. This is due to a variety of factors, including  access to land and labour , as well as challenges related to time poverty, to name a few. Cultural norms:  It is interesting to further dissect these gendered roles in terms of agriculture, as men and women have different responsibilities on the farm. Th...