Drivers of women’s sanitation practices in informal settlements in sub-Saharan Africa: A qualitative study in Mathare Valley, Kenya
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Despite evidence suggesting women are disproportionately affected by the lack of adequate and safe sanitation facilities around the world, there is limited information about the factors that influence women's ability to access and utilize sanitation, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. The purpose of this study was to explore factors influencing women's sanitation practices in informal settlements in Nairobi, Kenya. Information from 55 in-depth interviews conducted in 2016 with 55 women in Mathare Valley Informal Settlement in Nairobi was used to carry out cross-case, thematic analysis of women's common sanitation routines. Women identified neighborhood disorganization, fear of victimization, lack of privacy, and cleanliness/dirtiness of facilities as important factors in the choices they make about their sanitation practices. This suggests that future sanitation-related interventions and policies may need to consider strategies that focus not only on toilet provision or adoption but also on issues of space and community dynamics.
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Privacy of household and shared latrines is compromised by broken or missing doors, missing locks, and poor construction; women worried about being seen walking to latrines, waiting in queues, having others hear or smell their activity, or the proximity of latrines to houses, main roads, or public spaces.
“Privacy of household and shared latrines is compromised by broken [189] or missing doors, [184, 248] missing locks, [175,191,248,251] and poor construction [175,191,240,251].Furthermore, women worried about being seen walking to latrines; [189, 227] waiting in queues; [130] having others hear or smell their activity; [175] or the proximity of latrines to houses, main roads, or public spaces [69,1”
From Water, sanitation, and women’s empowerment: A systematic review and qualitative metasynthesis (2022) · cites this paper as [191]
Women have faced difficulties accessing government subsidies or loans large enough for latrine construction and reported willingness to make financial sacrifices, like paying higher rent or accepting a lower wage job, to gain toilet access; in India, even women with economic and decision-making power could not build latrines without land ownership.
“Women have faced difficulties accessing government subsidies [125, 135] or loans large enough for latrine construction [131] and reported willingness to make financial sacrifices, like paying higher rent [191] or accepting a lower wage job, [174,217] to gain toilet access.In India, even women with economic and decision-making power could not build latrines without land ownership [124,187,190].”
From Water, sanitation, and women’s empowerment: A systematic review and qualitative metasynthesis (2022) · cites this paper as [191]
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- Authors
- Winter, S., Barchi, F., & Dzombo, M. N.
- Affiliations
- Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (US)
- University of Nairobi (KE)
- Corresponding author
- Winter, Samantha
- Venue
- International Journal of Environmental Health Research
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2018-07-20
- Volume
- 28
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 609-625
- ISSN
- 0960-3123 (ISSN-L)
- 1369-1619
- OpenAlex
- W2883185038
- Cited by
- 37
- References
- 35
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 1
- FWCI
- 6.51
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.tandfonline.com
- Licence
- cc-by-nc-nd
- Locations
- International Journal of Environmental Health Research (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Rutgers University Community Repository (Rutgers University) (submittedVersion)
- University of Nairobi Research Archive (University of Nairobi) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Funders
- Rutgers University, School of Graduate Studies (Louis Bevier Dissertation Completion Fellowship)
- PEO International (Scholar Award)
- National Security Education Program (David L. Boren Fellowship)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Gender Studies and Social Issues
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Child Nutrition and Water Access
- Social Sciences › Urban Studies › Urban and Rural Development Challenges
- Keywords
- informal settlements, Nairobi, sub-Saharan Africa, neighborhood disorganization, fear of victimization, facility cleanliness, community dynamics, gender and sanitation
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Choice Behavior, Female, Humans, Interviews as Topic, Kenya, Middle Aged, Poverty Areas, Sanitation, Socioeconomic Factors, Toilet Facilities, Women's Health, Qualitative Research, Young Adult
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