Women and the production of water services [The case of the female small scale water providers in Maputo]

Water services is a sector in which men and women's roles are represented in a very polarized way. Women are almost always very narrowly portrayed, in their role as users of water for reproductive and unpaid community activities. In opposition, they seem to be completely absent in activities related to the provision of water services, which are mainly connected to masculine imaginaries. However, women participate also in the provision of water services in different ways. With this research, I aim to contribute to cast light on the role of women as producers of water services, and on how gender influences that role, by using the case of female SSIPs in Maputo Metropolitan area. The findings of this research suggest that gendered social rules regarding ownership, access to economic resources, and activities that should be developed by women and men in the household (and in the society) influence the ways in which women and men participate in the SSIP business. The association of masculinity with the role of the main owner/commander of resources in the household as well as with technical prowess and knowledge bring as consequence that men are the main responsible for water provision businesses, while only few women are visible as SSIPs. However, women and men's participation in the business is more complex than that. Even if gender acts as a structural constraint, it does not completely determine people's activities. Women and men (re-) negotiate roles, meanings and identities at household level. SSIPs are not started-up, managed and owned by isolated individuals. By looking at them as household based activities instead, it is possible to see how gender identities are negotiated reflecting in a wider spectrum of women (and men) participation. Ranging from unpaid workers to formal ownership, the level of involvement of women in the development of the daily tasks of the business and in the decision making is broad and changes with the time

Bathing without water, and other stories of everyday hygiene practices and risk perception in urban low-income areas: the case of Lilongwe, Malawi

Hygiene plays a key role in tipping the balance towards reduction of diarrhoeal and other infectious diseases. Yet it has often been overlooked, positioned as a “supporting rider” of water supply and sanitation services, or narrowly understood as handwashing. By focusing on handwashing infrastructure as proposed for the monitoring of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6, development actors might miss the opportunity of capturing hygiene practices that are socially embedded and can act as a catalyst for change and risk reduction. We develop this argument by presenting an in-depth examination of hygiene practices in a low-income neighbourhood of Lilongwe, Malawi. Despite the high poverty levels and the constant water shortages in the area, a number of water-intensive hygiene practices are consistently carried out, proving that hygiene is central to residents’ everyday lives. Development projects should start by identifying these practices and by reflecting on the extent that these already work or can be made to work for reducing health-related risks. </jats:p

Bathing without water, and other stories of everyday hygiene practices and risk perception in urban low-income areas: the case of Lilongwe, Malawi

Hygiene plays a key role in tipping the balance towards reduction of diarrhoeal and other infectious diseases. Yet it has often been overlooked, positioned as a “supporting rider” of water supply and sanitation services, or narrowly understood as handwashing. By focusing on handwashing infrastructure as proposed for the monitoring of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6, development actors might miss the opportunity of capturing hygiene practices that are socially embedded and can act as a catalyst for change and risk reduction. We develop this argument by presenting an in-depth examination of hygiene practices in a low-income neighbourhood of Lilongwe, Malawi. Despite the high poverty levels and the constant water shortages in the area, a number of water-intensive hygiene practices are consistently carried out, proving that hygiene is central to residents’ everyday lives. Development projects should start by identifying these practices and by reflecting on the extent that these already work or can be made to work for reducing health-related risks