RIPPLES OF INEQUITY: GENDERED CURRENTS IN NIGERIA’S WATER AND SANITATION SECTOR

Abstract

The need to improve gender access to water and sanitation in Africa has elicited a lot of discussions and scholarly research in developing countries worldwide. Women's rights activists and other concerned stakeholders have argued for the gender’s increased access and control over water and sanitation. This chapter examines the relationship between the ripples of gender inequity in Nigeria’s water and sanitation sector of the environmental space. The study highlights the impacts of discrimination against women concerning access and control in the critical water sector and the ripple effects on sanitation for a healthier family and society. It identifies the gaps and challenges in women’s access to water and sanitation. It seeks ways of strengthening women’s rights to water and sanitation; achieving the possible benchmark in the context of seven United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDG 6 which focuses on clean water and sanitation by ensuring water and sanitation for all is available and sustainable. The study relied on secondary data sources and the review of extant literature on major sub-themes of gender access to water and sanitation, the situation analysis, regional disparities, and challenges in the sector for improved access in the sector. It concludes by providing recommendations on how to promote policies, dialogue, advocacy, partnerships, and capacity building to support gender access to water and good sanitation practices.