Water as a Gendered Commodity in Africa

The gendered division of water (its uses and collection) in Africa has many consequences. In households in Africa where water needs to be collected there is a well-known consensus in academia that it is the women’s role in the family to collect the water. Stereotypically, the male role in the household would reflect the conception of the farm household (where the man is the farmer and decision maker) (Zwarteveen 1997). The differing collection/uses/freedom of water between men and women will be explored in the blog posts that follow.

A case study researched by Van Houweling (2016), effectively details the issues with this gendered division of labour both pre- and post- having hand pumps installed. The case study deals with five different villages in northern Mozambique.

Before the installation of the hand pumps the collection of water being left to women often means they get up very early in the morning to walk to the wells. Collecting the water everyday can be stressful for these women. In the villages, families take pride in being able to use water to cook and clean, and women will be considered to be a ‘bad wife’ if they cannot complete family duties by not having the water for their families. Further to this, the women interviewed often found it stressful having to leave their children at home on their own when they go to collect the water. In the most extreme example, one woman returned to a fire in her house that was accidentally started by one of her young children. Compare this to our society where leaving young unsupervised children would be not tolerated. However, I feel for the mothers who are essentially between Scylla and Charybdis. In addition, sometimes the eldest children would accompany their mothers to fetch the water with them. This has further negative ramifications on their education. Overall the women felt as if there was a strain on their relationships when they could not get water, or if they had to wait a long time to collect the water, resulting in them getting back to their homes later in the morning.

After having the hand pumps installed closer to their villages the women were overall much happier. They found that they could sleep longer in the morning before having to get up to collect the water. Consequently, there was less of a physical strain due to them not having to walk so far to collect the water. In addition, the women found that their relationship with their husbands and family often improved  – they can bring water for their family to bathe in, giving them a sense of pride. The women in these communities also noted the lack of guilt from taking their children with them to acquire the water. These women understand how important it is that their children, both boys and girls, have access to education and I think it is favourable that these simple technologies can be utilised to make such a big difference to their livelihoods.

One exception to this gendered collection of water is during the dry season. Men are more likely to accompany women when they are collecting the water. This however results in the men having less time for farming, their religious duties and visiting their family. Interestingly, the negative impacts on men when dealing with water collection are rarely mentioned.

When I think about the difference of ease of access to water it is remarkable how we take our access to water for granted. The straightforwardness of filling a kettle to boil water as compared to walking for miles to collect, to walk back and then heat the water shows the stark disparity between the two cultures. I find it interesting here that water is central to these women’s daily lives, and that the act of obtaining the water is a defining gender role within the communities. I also find it notable the empowerment women feel when their access to water is increased – something that is never thought of in Britain, and certainly there is no defining gender role connected to water.

Zwarteveen, M. (1998) ‘Water: From Basic Need to Commodity: A Discussion on Gender and Water Rights in the Context of Irrigation’, World Development, 25, 8, 1335-1349.

Van Houweling, E. (2016). “A Good Wife Brings Her Husband Bath Water”: Gender Roles and Water Practices in Nampula, Mozambique. Society & Natural Resources, 29(9), 1065-1078.