Availability of Domestic Water and Sanitation in Households: A Gender Perspective Using Survey Data in South Africa
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Date
2013
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Abstract
The availability of domestic water and adequate sanitation is high on the agenda of both
international and local communities. Despite concerted efforts to achieve the targets set by the
Millennium Development Goal (MDG) for water and sanitation, current levels of water
supply and adequate sanitation coverage remain largely inadequate. Various contributing
factors, including economic and demographic pressures, account for the lack of adequate domestic
water and sanitation. This paper analyzes the availability of water and sanitation in South
Africa by gender of head of household. Lack of water and poor sanitation is one of the many
challenges faced by poor urban populations. The paper examines gender differentials and the
availability of domestic water and sanitation using the 2002 South Africa General Household
Survey. The analysis is primarily descriptive. However, principal component analysis is
also used for the purposes of estimating the wealth of households. The study finds a relationship
between the socioeconomic status of households and the availability of water and sanitation.
However, it does not find any major difference in the wealth of households and the availability
of adequate water and sanitation by gender of household head. Based on these findings,
the study recommends that generalizations concerning the feminization of poverty need to be
avoided and that interventions in the realm of water and sanitation need to take account of the
socioeconomic status of households and of their areas of residence
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Keywords
Gender, Sanitation, South Africa, Water
Citation
Dungumaro, E.W., 2013. Availability of domestic water and sanitation in households: A gender perspective using survey data in South Africa. Urban Population-Environment Dynamics in the Developing World: Case Studies and Lessons Learned, Committee for International Cooperation in National Research in Demography (CICRED), Paris, viewed, 13.