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Cited by 27Gender Studies and Social IssuesChild Nutrition and Water AccessUrban and Rural Development Challenges

Sanitation and Personal Hygiene: What Does It Mean to Poor and Vulnerable Women?

Reddy, B. Suresh, Snehalatha, M.·2011·Indian Journal of Gender Studies
DOI 10.1177/097152151101800305
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Abstract

Sanitation is an important index of socio-economic development. Low sanitation levels lead to a host of diseases, making sanitation a key public health issue and concomitant of a clean water supply. Based on field work in two urban slums of Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, this article points out that sanitation implies much more than defecation issues and that it converges on several important aspects of life, such as shame and dignity and personal hygiene. Women themselves defined what is appropriate sanitation. Cleaning tasks are primarily performed by women who receive little support from men. We argue for the need to give women a central role in decision-making, designing, planning and implementation of sanitation programmes. Women’s definitions of the minimum standards of hygienic practices are clearly brought out by the study.

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Crossref · 10.1177/097152151101800305

Cites

4 of 4 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • Women reported challenges related to privacy and water, specifically concerning hygiene, including challenges obtaining privacy at water sources used for bathing, post-defecation cleansing, and washing, particularly during menstruation.

    “Women reported challenges related to privacy and water, specifically concerning hygiene.Women and girls in Bangladesh, [199] India, [184, 189, 226] Indonesia, [115] and Mozambique [175, 261] described challenges obtaining privacy at water sources used for bathing, post-defecation cleansing, and washing, particularly during menstruation.”

    From Water, sanitation, and women’s empowerment: A systematic review and qualitative metasynthesis (2022) · cites this paper as [226]

  • Social capital has facilitated sanitation access; women and girls have formed and maintained social connections when accessing sanitation locations, and sought social support to ensure privacy and safety and to protect reputations when urinating or defecating.

    “Social capital has facilitated sanitation access.Women and girls have formed and maintained social connections when accessing sanitation locations, [130, 182, 189] and sought social support to ensure privacy and safety and to protect reputations when urinating or defecating [173, 182, 184, 187-190, 223, 226].”

    From Water, sanitation, and women’s empowerment: A systematic review and qualitative metasynthesis (2022) · cites this paper as [226]

  • Time spent on sanitation has caused women to be late for work or suppress needs to avoid being late, work longer days if they needed to leave to use the toilet, fail to complete household chores, or be scolded or punished for taking too long.

    “Time spent on sanitation has caused women to be late for work or suppress needs to avoid being late, [168, 173] work longer days if they needed to leave to use the toilet, [250] fail to complete household chores, [226] or be scolded or punished for taking too long.[189]”

    From Water, sanitation, and women’s empowerment: A systematic review and qualitative metasynthesis (2022) · cites this paper as [226]

  • The findings are consistent with literature emphasizing that personal hygiene needs beyond sanitation and handwashing, including washing the body and laundry, are critical for women's wellbeing.

    “The findings are also consistent with limited, but important, literature which has emphasized that personal hygiene needs beyond sanitation and handwashing; including washing the body and laundry, are critical for women’s wellbeing [31,32,33].”

    From The relationship between household sanitation and women’s experience of menstrual hygiene: Findings from a cross-sectional survey in Kaduna State, Nigeria. (2018) · cites this paper as [32]

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Authors
Reddy, B. S., & Snehalatha, M.
Affiliations
  • Centre for Economic and Social Studies (IN)
  • IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre (NL)
Corresponding author
  • Reddy, B. Suresh
  • Snehalatha, M.
Venue
Indian Journal of Gender Studies
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Published
2011-09-30
Volume
18
Issue
3
Pages
381-404
ISSN
  • 0971-5215 (ISSN-L)
  • 0973-0672
DOI
10.1177/097152151101800305
OpenAlex
W2061927973
Cited by
27
References
4
Citations by year
2025: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 4 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 2 · 2013: 2
FWCI
3.16
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
journals.sagepub.com/page/policies/text-and-data-mining-license (tdm)
Locations
  • Indian Journal of Gender Studies (publishedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
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
sanitation, personal hygiene, urban slums, gender and sanitation, women's decision-making, clean water supply, hygiene practices, Hyderabad

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