Pathways linking WASH access and women's empowerment: Evidence from Zambia and Honduras

IF 5.1 1区社会学 Q1 GEOGRAPHY

Journal of Rural Studies Pub Date : 2025-02-20 DOI:10.1016/j.jrurstud.2025.103602

Jingru Jia , Anna Snider , Anissa Collishaw , Paul E. McNamara , Emmanuel Tumusiime

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Achieving universal access to improved water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services and facilities is considered essential for gender equality and empowerment, yet empirical evidence of how and what WASH is essential for responding to the challenges of women's gender equality and empowerment in low-income countries is limited.

This study analyzes cross-sectional data from Zambia and Honduras to examine the relationship between access to WASH services and women's empowerment, measured by indicators of intrinsic, instrumental, and collective agency. We find significant correlations between access to WASH and women's intrinsic and instrumental agency. This correlation is stronger in Zambia than Honduras, highlighting that relationships are spatially heterogeneous. Notably, we find that households that treat their water are correlated with women's input into agricultural production decisions. These results demonstrate that the relationship between WASH access and women's empowerment is multifaceted, and more evidence is needed to understand underlying mechanisms.

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来源期刊

Journal of Rural Studies Multiple-

CiteScore

9.80

自引率

9.80%

发文量

286

期刊介绍： The Journal of Rural Studies publishes research articles relating to such rural issues as society, demography, housing, employment, transport, services, land-use, recreation, agriculture and conservation. The focus is on those areas encompassing extensive land-use, with small-scale and diffuse settlement patterns and communities linked into the surrounding landscape and milieux. Particular emphasis will be given to aspects of planning policy and management. The journal is international and interdisciplinary in scope and content.