Water blog 8
WHY WATER IS A WOMEN’S ISSUE
Richaed Mckinnies
5 reasons
1. COLLECTING WATER IS PHYSICALLY DEMANDING, ESPECIALLY FOR PREGNANT WOMEN AND GIRLS
Water retrieval is a physically hard activity. When full, a standard jerry can (a common container for transporting water from the pump to the home) carries five gallons of water and weighs 40 pounds. If you're a grown woman, that's difficult enough to carry for several miles, especially since many women carry the jugs on their heads, which can cause back and spine problems over time. For many women, the physical and health implications of this chore extend beyond the lifting itself: Dehydration or sunstroke can occur when carrying in excessive heat.
2. WATER COLLECTION CAN ALSO BE A LIFE-THREATENING EXPERIENCE FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS
Aside from physical health, there are also concerns about physical safety when going for many miles each day to fetch water. Gender-based violence is a serious threat to women and girls. Filema Mekonen, a mother of three, spoke with us in 2017 about the dangers of her two-hour round commute in southwestern Ethiopia. She and other ladies in her area would trek late at night to reach the nearest water source before it was contaminated by cattle.
3. COLLECTING WATER KEEPS GIRLS OUT OF SCHOOL…
Several UNICEF studies have found that when family houses are closer to water sources, school attendance improves. A water source within 15 minutes of home increased attendance by 12% in Tanzania. When girls don't have to spend half their day walking to and from a water source, they may attend school. Water, on the other hand, is an important role in adolescent girls attending school throughout their menstrual cycles. They can take care of their hygiene without sacrificing their education if they have access to safe and sanitary facilities.
4. …AND IT KEEPS WOMEN FROM DOING MORE VALUABLE WORK
If the average woman spends more than three and a half hours gathering water each day, that's three and a half hours she could be doing anything else. In Ethiopia, Filema's two-hour excursions to obtain water meant that not only were her children late for school, but she was also late for her communal farming labor. The cascade impact would cause "other community members to complain," she claimed. “This irritated my husband since it jeopardized his social acceptance in the community.”
5. BUT THE ALTERNATIVES ARE EVEN WORSE — ESPECIALLY FOR WOMEN
Women understand how water affects their life and the lives of their family members because they are the primary carers at home. Many people may prioritize their own needs over the needs of their partners and children, including the usage of water for personal hygiene if water is scarce.
Good information. Water scarcity is already a huge problem in many parts of the world and will get worse. And yes, women wind up feeling the impacts first, esp. with their increased work loads.
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