Community organized household water increases not only rural incomes, but also men’s work.
Abstract
This paper explores community-organized, household water supply in seven communities in western Kenya. We compare water use, labor use, income and the conditions for collective action in three sets of communities: two have protected springs and piped homestead connections; two have protected springs but no homestead connection; and three draw potentially contaminated water from unprotected springs. We find that piped water reduces the work of women and girls, and facilitates home garden and livestock production. Together these changes lead to increased household incomes. Women recognize clear time-benefits. Men, however, experience extra work. No overall pattern emerges regarding the preconditions for collective action.
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Men with new homestead water access did not like their increased involvement in what they perceived as women's work in Kenya.
“Men with new homestead water access did not like their increased involvement in what they perceived as women's work (Kenya) [88].”
From Water, sanitation, and women’s empowerment: A systematic review and qualitative metasynthesis (2022) · cites this paper as [88]
In Mozambique, Kenya, and Vanuatu, initiatives reduced conflict between husbands and wives.
“reduced conflict between husbands and wives (Mozambique [153], Kenya, [88] and Vanuatu [26]);”
From Water, sanitation, and women’s empowerment: A systematic review and qualitative metasynthesis (2022) · cites this paper as [88]
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- Authors
- Crow, B., Swallow, B., & Asamba, I.
- Affiliations
- University of California System (US)
- University of Alberta (CA)
- ORCID
- Swallow, Brent
- Venue
- World Development
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2012-03
- Volume
- 40
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 528-541
- ISSN
- 0305-750X (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1964021402
- Cited by
- 43
- References
- 30
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 2 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 5
- FWCI
- 3.42
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- World Development (publishedVersion)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Water Science and Technology › Water Resource Management and Quality
- Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Water Governance and Infrastructure
- Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Gender, Labor, and Family Dynamics
- Keywords
- domestic water supply, community water management, protected springs, women's employment, child labor, household income, collective action, home gardens, animal husbandry, gender division of labor, rural households, Western Kenya
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