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Cited by 25Indigenous Health, Education, and RightsWater Resource Management and QualityIndigenous Studies and Ecology

Gender and water insecurity in a subarctic Indigenous community.

Hanrahan, Maura, Mercer, Nicholas·2019·Canadian Geographies / Géographies canadiennes
DOI 10.1111/cag.12508
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Abstract

Abstract Indigenous communities in Canada suffer disproportionately from compromised water insecurity, with multiple negative implications. Some attention has been paid to gender and water insecurity in developing countries, especially in sub‐Saharan Africa, but the topic has been neglected for subarctic settings. We conducted long‐term research in Black Tickle, a remote Inuit community in Labrador, Canada, with no piped water and limited access to potable water. Our research was aimed at understanding the multiple dimensions of water security, identifying materialist responses, and conducting a pilot project in domestic rainwater harvesting. Water security emerged as a gendered phenomenon. We supplemented our reflective analysis on this research with two focus group discussions during which Inuit women described their experiences of water security. Participants reported that their physical and mental health are undermined by water insecurity and that water is a source of multiple stresses that demand resilience. Given a developing remittance economy, gender was identified as an increasingly significant determinant of water insecurity in this subarctic community. Having to retrieve water themselves, Inuit women experience altered gender norms and a persistent values conflict in addition to physical strain. Water acquisition is an added responsibility, impacting their labour load. Alternatively, in relying on available men to retrieve water, participants reported feeling guilty and anxious and they worried about men fetching water in dangerous weather conditions and in the vicinity of dangerous wildlife. Participants’ experiences make clear the urgency for a materialist response to water insecurity in the Indigenous subarctic.

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  • When women lacked control over income and assets, they had limited decision-making power over improving or accessing water sources; constrained finances limited women's access to preferred water sources, desired water quantity, and water treatment methods.

    “When women lacked control over income and assets, they had limited decision-making power over improving or accessing water sources [65,76,86,118,123,194,199,201,258,292].Constrained finances limited women's access to preferred water sources, [64,86,111,158,170,194,[197][198][199] desired water quantity, [86,192] and water treatment methods [86,111,118,204,293].”

    From Water, sanitation, and women’s empowerment: A systematic review and qualitative metasynthesis (2022) · cites this paper as [201]

  • Women reported spending money to access water sources with shorter wait times or higher quality, or to compensate male neighbors, laborers, or drivers for water collection; water was a major expense for many women.

    “Women reported spending money to access water sources with shorter wait times [61,198] or higher quality, [98,198] or to compensate male neighbors, laborers, or drivers for water collection [165,201].Water was a major expense for many women [65,86,111,198,200,292].”

    From Water, sanitation, and women’s empowerment: A systematic review and qualitative metasynthesis (2022) · cites this paper as [201]

  • Limited control over assets like carts, bicycles, and wheelbarrows made water collection more time-consuming, or, in sub-Arctic communities where women lack snowmobiles and guns for defense against bears, more dangerous.

    “Furthermore, limited control over assets like carts, bicycles, and wheelbarrows made water collection more time-consuming, [98,123,258] or, in sub-Arctic communities where women lack snowmobiles and guns for defense against bears, more dangerous [201].”

    From Water, sanitation, and women’s empowerment: A systematic review and qualitative metasynthesis (2022) · cites this paper as [201]

  • In Inuit communities, men are primary water collectors.

    “Exceptionally, in Inuit communities, men are primary water collectors.”

    From Water, sanitation, and women’s empowerment: A systematic review and qualitative metasynthesis (2022) · cites this paper as [201]

  • Inuit men carry guns for protection against polar bears near water sources, something unacceptable for women to do.

    “They carry guns for protection against polar bears near water sources-something unacceptable for women to do;”

    From Water, sanitation, and women’s empowerment: A systematic review and qualitative metasynthesis (2022) · cites this paper as [201]

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Authors
Hanrahan, M., & Mercer, N.
Affiliations
  • University of Lethbridge (CA)
  • University of Waterloo (CA)
Corresponding author
Hanrahan, Maura
Venue
Canadian Geographies / Géographies canadiennes
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2018-12-10
Volume
63
Issue
2
Pages
211-224
ISSN
  • 0008-3658 (ISSN-L)
  • 1541-0064
DOI
10.1111/cag.12508
OpenAlex
W2905430967
Cited by
25
References
41
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 5
FWCI
2.14
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor (vor)
Locations
Canadian Geographies / Géographies canadiennes (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Health › Indigenous Health, Education, and Rights
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Water Science and Technology › Water Resource Management and Quality
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Indigenous Studies and Ecology
Keywords
water insecurity, gender, Inuit, indigenous peoples, subarctic, Labrador, domestic rainwater harvesting, water access, women's water collection, gender norms, remittances, resilience, remote communities

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