Gender Issues in Water and Sanitation Programmes : Lessons from India

Citation:

Cronin, Aidan A., Pradeep K. Mehta, and Anjal Prakash, eds. 2015. Gender Issues in Water and Sanitation Programmes : Lessons from India. New Delhi, IND: Sage Publications Pvt. Ltd. 

Authors: Aidan A. Cronin, Pradeep K. Mehta, Anjal Prakash

Annotation:

This book fills the gaps in conceptual knowledge related to gender outcomes in water and sanitation issues. It illustrates how to get the desired gender outcomes in WASH programs by providing real-life case studies from different regions of India. The first section focuses on the Gender and WASH problem, forming a background for the case studies in India. Ways of incorporating gender dimensions in water management and in water and sanitation agendas in India are heavily explored here. The second section provides a contextual understanding of gender and WASH in India through basic facts, statistics, and anecdotes. The final section discusses women’s participation in the sanitation sector with a focus on developing innovative ways in which women’s role and participation can be up scaled. Through the case studies, the authors argue that the identification of vulnerable households can help in devising systems to reduce the hardships faced by women. Water governance was found to be limiting for women when the existing social dynamics of the region were not addressed. Current training programs of the Government of India were found to lack in having an approach to gender and equity in WASH. The book concludes by offering further thoughts on the “gender how?” question, while providing suggestions for further policy initiatives on gender in WASH. Such suggestions are highly centered on further research in the gender and hygiene field. 

Topics: Development, Economies, Economic Inequality, Gender, Masculinity/ies, Gender Roles, Gender Analysis, Gendered Power Relations, Patriarchy, Gender Hierarchies, Gender Equality/Inequality, Gender Equity, Health, Households, Infrastructure, Water & Sanitation, Rights, Land Rights, Property Rights, Women's Rights Regions: Asia, Southeast Asia Countries: India

Year: 2015