‘They will listen to women who speak but it ends there’: examining empowerment in the context of water and sanitation interventions in Ghana

Gender plays a vital role in shaping access to and governance of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services in many contexts. Notably, women and men have different WASH-associated roles as well as varying access to resources and power. This study explores the meanings of women's empowerment in the WASH sector from the perspective of local stakeholders in the Asutifi North District, Ghana. A qualitative approach was employed, which involved 15 key informant interviews with community leaders, local government professionals, and WASH practitioners. Participants conceptualized empowerment in terms of four major themes: (1) availability of resources, (2) WASH information, (3) social and cultural structures, and (4) agency. Participants defined empowerment as a multifaceted process shaped by their physical, social, cultural, and political environments. The study provides researchers and practitioners with a greater understanding of the dimensions of empowerment that are relevant to strengthening WASH interventions and practices.

• Publication year

  2021

• Venue

  H2Open Journal

• Publication date

  2021-01-01

• Fields of study

  Not labeled

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.2166/h2oj.2021.100
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar

• The identified empowerment dimensions are presented as relevant for strengthening WASH interventions and practices.

  Confidence 0.90

  뀨 (7c402c1b98) extraction--------- ✂ Cut Here ✂ --------- (jqthcshryb) reviewB (s683577b42) reviewAll you need is Python (5d7gwfm5zu) review
• The qualitative approach consisted of 15 key informant interviews with community leaders, local government professionals, and WASH practitioners.

  Confidence 0.95

  뀨 (7c402c1b98) extraction--------- ✂ Cut Here ✂ --------- (jqthcshryb) reviewB (s683577b42) reviewAll you need is Python (5d7gwfm5zu) review
• Women's empowerment in WASH was defined as a multifaceted process shaped by physical, social, cultural, and political environments.

  Confidence 0.96

  뀨 (7c402c1b98) extraction--------- ✂ Cut Here ✂ --------- (jqthcshryb) reviewB (s683577b42) reviewAll you need is Python (5d7gwfm5zu) review
• Local stakeholders in Asutifi North District, Ghana conceptualized women's empowerment in WASH through availability of resources, WASH information, social and cultural structures, and agency.

  Confidence 0.98

  뀨 (7c402c1b98) extraction--------- ✂ Cut Here ✂ --------- (jqthcshryb) reviewB (s683577b42) reviewAll you need is Python (5d7gwfm5zu) review

• agency

  theme

  The capacity to make choices and act on them in WASH-related matters.

  뀨 (7c402c1b98) extraction--------- ✂ Cut Here ✂ --------- (jqthcshryb) reviewB (s683577b42) reviewAll you need is Python (5d7gwfm5zu) review
• availability of resources

  theme

  Access to material and financial resources that can support participation in WASH.

  뀨 (7c402c1b98) extraction--------- ✂ Cut Here ✂ --------- (jqthcshryb) reviewB (s683577b42) reviewAll you need is Python (5d7gwfm5zu) review
• key informant interviews

  method

  A qualitative interview method that collects detailed perspectives from selected knowledgeable participants.

  뀨 (7c402c1b98) extraction--------- ✂ Cut Here ✂ --------- (jqthcshryb) reviewB (s683577b42) reviewAll you need is Python (5d7gwfm5zu) review
• physical, social, cultural, and political environments

  context

  The surrounding physical, social, cultural, and political conditions that influence empowerment in WASH settings.

  뀨 (7c402c1b98) extraction--------- ✂ Cut Here ✂ --------- (jqthcshryb) reviewB (s683577b42) reviewAll you need is Python (5d7gwfm5zu) review
• social and cultural structures

  theme

  Norms, roles, and institutions that shape behavior and authority in WASH contexts.

  뀨 (7c402c1b98) extraction--------- ✂ Cut Here ✂ --------- (jqthcshryb) reviewB (s683577b42) reviewAll you need is Python (5d7gwfm5zu) review
• wash

  sector

  The water, sanitation, and hygiene service domain.

  Aliases: water, sanitation, and hygiene

  뀨 (7c402c1b98) extraction--------- ✂ Cut Here ✂ --------- (jqthcshryb) reviewB (s683577b42) reviewAll you need is Python (5d7gwfm5zu) review
• wash information

  theme

  Information about WASH services and opportunities relevant to participation and decision-making.

  뀨 (7c402c1b98) extraction--------- ✂ Cut Here ✂ --------- (jqthcshryb) reviewB (s683577b42) reviewAll you need is Python (5d7gwfm5zu) review
• women's empowerment

  concept

  The extent to which women can access resources, make choices, and influence decisions in WASH settings.

  뀨 (7c402c1b98) extraction--------- ✂ Cut Here ✂ --------- (jqthcshryb) reviewB (s683577b42) reviewAll you need is Python (5d7gwfm5zu) review

• Understanding empowerment in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH): a scoping review

  2020cited by this paper
• Gender and capacity building: A multi-layered study of empowerment

  2018cited by this paper
• Measuring women's empowerment: a need for context and caution - Authors' reply.

  2018cited by this paper
• Transforming gender relations through water, sanitation, and hygiene programming and monitoring in Vietnam

  2017cited by this paper
• Women's role in sanitation decision making in rural coastal Odisha, India

  2017cited by this paper
• Does women’s participation in water committees affect management and water system performance in rural Vanuatu?

  2017cited by this paper
• The role of women's leadership and gender equity in leadership and health system strengthening

  2017cited by this paper
• Reframing women’s empowerment in water security programmes in Western Nepal

  2017cited by this paper
• Mainstreaming gender in the WASH sector: dilution or distillation?

  2017cited by this paper
• “A Good Wife Brings Her Husband Bath Water”: Gender Roles and Water Practices in Nampula, Mozambique

  2016cited by this paper
• Factors influencing knowledge and practice of hygiene in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programme areas of Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee.

  2014cited by this paper
• Husbands' Participation in Housework and Child Care in India.

  2014cited by this paper
• Socio-economic status of women and its influence on their participation in rural water supply projects in Ghana

  2013cited by this paper
• A review of progress in empowerment of women in rural water management decision-making processes

  2013cited by this paper
• Predictors of sustainability for community-managed handpumps in sub-Saharan Africa: evidence from Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Uganda.

  2013cited by this paper
• A systematic approach to behavior change interventions for the water and sanitation sector in developing countries: a conceptual model, a review, and a guideline

  2012cited by this paper
• BMC Medical Research Methodology BioMed Central Debate Conducting a meta-ethnography of qualitative literature: Lessons learnt

  2008cited by this paper
• Agency and Empowerment: A Proposal for Internationally Comparable Indicators

  2007cited by this paper
• Gender equality and women's empowerment: A critical analysis of the third millennium development goal 1

  2005cited by this paper
• Developing Contradictions: Women's Participation as a Site of Struggle Within an Indian NGO*

  2004cited by this paper
• GENDER INEQUALITY, COOPERATION, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

  2001cited by this paper
• Resources, Agency, Achievements: Reflections on the Measurement of Women's Empowerment

  1999cited by this paper

• WASHed in stereotypes: A rigorous review of water-gender narratives in LMICs

  2026influential citation
• Oral histories on water, sanitation, and hygiene across women's lifecourse and wellbeing implications in Ghana.

  2025cites this paper
• Gender inequalities, water research and knowledge production in Ghana

  2024cites this paper
• Training of Rural Women to Monitor the Water Quality at the Point of Use to Increase WASH Empowerment in Rural India

  2024cites this paper
• The effect of agricultural cooperative membership on women’s empowerment: a case of rural Ashanti, Ghana

  2024cites this paper
• Experiences of inequalities in access to safe water and psycho-emotional distress in Ghana.

  2022cites this paper