Skip to main content

LUP Student Papers

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Understanding women’s empowerment in WASH. A case study in the cascades and centre-sud regions of Burkina Faso

Häggström, Julia LU (2019) In Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science MESM02 20191
LUCSUS (Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies)
Abstract
The understanding of the link between the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector and gender has been extensively researched and is widely accepted as foundational for achieving safe and equal provision of WASH-facilities. Interventions aimed at improvements in the sector are common in low- and middle-income countries, however, there is a limited number of approaches for measuring their outcomes. In this thesis, a newly developed index for investigating the relationship between the WASH-sector, gender and empowerment is tested through a mixed-methods case study in Burkina Faso. The study consists of two separate but interlinked parts; one performing Cognitive Validity Testing (CVT) on the index and one aiming to investigate factors... (More)
The understanding of the link between the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector and gender has been extensively researched and is widely accepted as foundational for achieving safe and equal provision of WASH-facilities. Interventions aimed at improvements in the sector are common in low- and middle-income countries, however, there is a limited number of approaches for measuring their outcomes. In this thesis, a newly developed index for investigating the relationship between the WASH-sector, gender and empowerment is tested through a mixed-methods case study in Burkina Faso. The study consists of two separate but interlinked parts; one performing Cognitive Validity Testing (CVT) on the index and one aiming to investigate factors that influence women’s empowerment and local definitions of empowerment. Data was gathered through focus group discussions, semi-structured interviews and structured interviews. The data from the first part of the study is analysed using descriptive statistics and In Vivo Coding. Data from the second part is analysed through thematic analysis guided by two theories of women’s empowerment. The CVT showed no major flaws in the design of the index. The main finding is that there are variations in people’s definitions of used concepts. The most important factor for personal empowerment in the study setting is the ability to provide for your family. The results show that women are confident in managing WASH but have little influence on decision-making processes both in and outside the household, posing important obstacles for achieving women’s empowerment. The results of this thesis further strengthen the importance of this index and prove its usability for monitoring and evaluating interventions. The findings of this study should guide future development of the index and analysis of data gathered using the index. The findings also provide an insight to the importance of considering contextual variations of definitions. (Less)
Abstract (French)
La compréhension du lien entre le secteur de l'eau, de l'assainissement et de l'hygiène (WASH) et le genre a fait l'objet de nombreuses recherches et est largement acceptée comme étant fondamentale pour parvenir à une fourniture sûre et équitable d'installations WASH. Les interventions visant à améliorer le secteur sont courantes dans les pays à revenu faible ou intermédiaire, toutefois, le nombre d'approches permettant de mesurer leurs résultats est limité. Dans cette thèse, un nouvel index développé pour étudier la relation entre le secteur WASH, le genre et l'autonomisation est testé à travers une étude de cas à méthodes mixtes au Burkina Faso. L’étude comprend deux parties distinctes mais liées entre elles; un qui effectue des tests de... (More)
La compréhension du lien entre le secteur de l'eau, de l'assainissement et de l'hygiène (WASH) et le genre a fait l'objet de nombreuses recherches et est largement acceptée comme étant fondamentale pour parvenir à une fourniture sûre et équitable d'installations WASH. Les interventions visant à améliorer le secteur sont courantes dans les pays à revenu faible ou intermédiaire, toutefois, le nombre d'approches permettant de mesurer leurs résultats est limité. Dans cette thèse, un nouvel index développé pour étudier la relation entre le secteur WASH, le genre et l'autonomisation est testé à travers une étude de cas à méthodes mixtes au Burkina Faso. L’étude comprend deux parties distinctes mais liées entre elles; un qui effectue des tests de validité cognitive (CVT) sur l’indice et un qui vise à étudier les facteurs qui influent sur l’autonomisation des femmes et les définitions locales de l’autonomisation. Les données ont été recueillies lors de groupes de discussion, d'entretiens semi-structurés et d'entretiens structurés. Les données de la première partie de l’étude sont analysées à l’aide de statistiques descriptives et du codage in vivo. Les données de la deuxième partie sont analysées au moyen d’une analyse thématique guidée par deux théories de l’autonomisation des femmes. La CVT n’a montré aucun défaut majeur dans la conception de l’indice. La principale conclusion est que les définitions des concepts utilisés varient d’une personne à l’autre. Le facteur le plus important pour l'autonomisation personnelle dans le cadre de l'étude est la capacité de subvenir aux besoins de votre famille. Les résultats montrent que les femmes ont confiance dans la gestion de WASH, mais qu’elles ont peu d’influence sur les processus de prise de décision au sein et à l’extérieur du ménage, ce qui constitue un obstacle important à l’autonomisation des femmes. Les résultats de cette thèse renforcent encore l'importance de cet indice et prouvent son utilité pour le suivi et l'évaluation des interventions. Les résultats de cette étude devraient orienter l’évolution future de l’indice et l’analyse des données recueillies à l’aide de cet indice. Les résultats donnent également une idée de l’importance de prendre en compte les variations contextuelles des définitions. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Häggström, Julia LU
supervisor
organization
course
MESM02 20191
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Burkina Faso, Cognitive Validity Testing, Empowerment in WASH Index, Sustainability Science, WASH, Women’s Empowerment.
publication/series
Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science
report number
2019:023
language
English
additional info
This thesis is funded and supported by the Crafoord Foundation and Stockholm Environment Institute.
id
8980421
date added to LUP
2019-06-10 10:45:31
date last changed
2019-06-10 10:45:31
@misc{8980421,
  abstract     = {{The understanding of the link between the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector and gender has been extensively researched and is widely accepted as foundational for achieving safe and equal provision of WASH-facilities. Interventions aimed at improvements in the sector are common in low- and middle-income countries, however, there is a limited number of approaches for measuring their outcomes. In this thesis, a newly developed index for investigating the relationship between the WASH-sector, gender and empowerment is tested through a mixed-methods case study in Burkina Faso. The study consists of two separate but interlinked parts; one performing Cognitive Validity Testing (CVT) on the index and one aiming to investigate factors that influence women’s empowerment and local definitions of empowerment. Data was gathered through focus group discussions, semi-structured interviews and structured interviews. The data from the first part of the study is analysed using descriptive statistics and In Vivo Coding. Data from the second part is analysed through thematic analysis guided by two theories of women’s empowerment. The CVT showed no major flaws in the design of the index. The main finding is that there are variations in people’s definitions of used concepts. The most important factor for personal empowerment in the study setting is the ability to provide for your family. The results show that women are confident in managing WASH but have little influence on decision-making processes both in and outside the household, posing important obstacles for achieving women’s empowerment. The results of this thesis further strengthen the importance of this index and prove its usability for monitoring and evaluating interventions. The findings of this study should guide future development of the index and analysis of data gathered using the index. The findings also provide an insight to the importance of considering contextual variations of definitions.}},
  author       = {{Häggström, Julia}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  series       = {{Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science}},
  title        = {{Understanding women’s empowerment in WASH. A case study in the cascades and centre-sud regions of Burkina Faso}},
  year         = {{2019}},
}