Beneath beliefs: Water access and gender dynamics in three Nigerian communities

The project members organised advocacy campaigns to raise awareness about gender discriminatory cultural norms in collaboration with the University of Uyo Women’s Association, comprising women academic and non-academic staff. They engaged with school students through Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) clubs and also hosted phone-in programmes on local radio. In these efforts, the project team addressed women’s disproportionately high workload in the communities, as most domestic work related to water, sanitation and hygiene is performed by women. They highlighted how restricted access to water hinders women’s daily activities, for instance during their menstruation: “These women depend on voluntary support from other members of the community. Often when there is no help available, they either have to suspend the task at hand or wait near the stream for a passer-by,” said Akpabio.

“A lack of toilets is another serious challenge facing the communities, with residents often resorting to open defecation,” said Ini-Mfon Bassey Umo, a researcher and assistant in the WaSH GENDER project. She added that women, due to the high value placed on their privacy, often walk to distant areas, which can jeopardize their safety. Community discussions about these challenges, held as part of the project, identified how to secure the safety and well-being of women and girls, she said.

During its research, the interdisciplinary project team realised that a binary understanding of gender fails to encompass the rich diversity of gender identities found in these communities. This diversity not only goes beyond the binary of ‘man’ or ‘woman’, such as transgendered individuals, but also includes varied categories of women and men perceived by the community, for example mothers of twins, and menstruating women. The project team is researching the role of language and other social systems in perpetuating these binaries, to shape culture.