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Gender, Social Support Impact Household WASH in Kenya
- 1. Poulomy Chakraborty, Ph.D. Public Health, University of Florida. Dissertation title: ‘Influence of gender and social disparities on water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) associated outcomes in peri-urban households of Kenya’ Summary of dissertation research: My dissertation research was based in Kisumu, in western Kenya. My study examines the relationship between gender, social support, psychosocial stress and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) conditions in three peri-urban communities. I used mixed methods approaches to collect data as well as analyze the data, which included qualitative research methods, and quantitative methods such as structural equation models, to understand the complex social-economic conditions associated with gender and WASH. The findings from my study indicate that household WASH conditions and behaviors are strongly influenced by the gender of the head of the household. Female-headed households show a higher prevalence of positive WASH conditions and behaviors, which is greatly influenced by women’s ability to make decisions for their household’s WASH-based needs. Women’s capacity to make these decisions are further influenced by social support from their families and people around them. Social support also enables mothers in these communities to respond to the frequent episodes of severe childhood diarrhea. Finally, the study indicates that poor household WASH conditions act as a psychosocial stressor for women, who live in extremely vulnerable conditions where they are not able to access their toilets after dark and are often subjected to gender-based violence. This study opens the scope to understand further gender-based issues which severely impacts WASH-based outcomes in similar settings. More attention is needed to introduce gender-sensitive WASH programs and include community social structures to create social capital, to increase negotiating capabilities of women for improving their WASH conditions, and to enable them to manage WASH-based conditions better.