Gender Perspectives on Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Inadequate access to safe, clean drinking water and appropriate sanitation and hygiene services and facilities (WASH) imposes a significant public health and human rights issue on many populations, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Poor access to WASH contributes to exposure and suffering from significant preventable disease and death, can hinder social and economic development, and impacts the overall well-being and quality of life of individuals and communities. While the impacts are widespread, women and girls face a disproportionate burden from WASH issues. This can be linked in parts to the reality of gender inequality for women and girls and in their specific biological needs. This assessment analyzes the various challenges and risks to the health, safety, and social and economic well-being of women and girls in relation to WASH. Eliminating detrimental WASH exposures and outcomes on women and girls will require utilizing an intersectional gender-transformative perspective. Gender-transformative approaches to WASH programming and policy presented in the current literature are explored here. These methods aim to transform the harmful gender dynamics that work to construct the discussed challenges and risks faced by women and girls. Through exploring gender-transformative approaches in WASH, it is proposed that harmful gender structures can be redressed to promote and protect the health, development, empowerment, and dignity of women and girls globally.