Women's role in sanitation decision making in rural coastal Odisha, India

BackgroundWhile women and girls face special risks from lack of access to sanitation facilities, their ability to participate and influence household-level sanitation is not well understood. This paper examines the association between women's decision-making autonomy and latrine construction in rural areas of Odisha, India.MethodsWe conducted a mixed-method study among rural households in Puri district. This included a cross sectional survey among 475 randomly selected households. These were classified as either having a functional latrine, a non-functional latrine or no latrine at all. We also conducted 17 in-depth interviews and 9 focus group discussions among household members of these three categories of households.ResultsDecisions on the construction of household level sanitation facilities were made exclusively by the male head in 80% of households; in 11% the decision was made by men who consulted or otherwise involved women. In only 9% of households the decision was made by women. Households where women were more involved in general decision making processes were no more likely to build a latrine, compared to households where they were excluded from decisions. Qualitative research revealed that women’s non-involvement in sanitation decision making is attributed to their low socio-economic status and inability to influence the household’s financial decisions. Female heads lacked confidence to take decisions independently, and were dependent on their spouse or other male family members for most decisions. The study revealed the existence of power hierarchies and dynamics within households, which constrained female’s participation in decision-making processes regarding sanitation.ConclusionsThough governments and implementers emphasize women’s involvement in sanitation programmes, socio-cultural factors and community and household level dynamics often prevent women from participating in sanitation-related decisions. Measures are needed for strengthening sanitation policies and effective implementation of programmes to address gender power relations and familial relationships that influence latrine adoption and use.【研究背景】尽管妇女和女童因无法获取卫生设施（sanitation facilities）而面临特殊风险，但目前学界对其参与并影响家庭层面卫生事务的能力仍缺乏充分认知。本研究旨在探讨印度奥里萨邦（Odisha）农村地区妇女决策自主权与户厕（latrine）建设之间的关联。 【研究方法】本研究在印度普里县（Puri）的农村家庭中开展混合方法研究。研究内容包括对475户随机抽取的家庭进行横断面调查（cross sectional survey），将受访家庭划分为三类：拥有功能正常户厕、功能失效户厕以及无户厕。此外，我们还针对这三类家庭的家庭成员开展了17次深度访谈（in-depth interviews）与9次焦点小组讨论（focus group discussions）。 【研究结果】80%的家庭中，家庭卫生设施建设决策完全由男性户主作出；11%的家庭由男性在征询或吸纳妇女意见后作出决策；仅9%的家庭由妇女主导决策。相较于妇女被排除在决策之外的家庭，那些妇女更多参与一般性决策流程的家庭，在户厕建设概率上并无显著差异。质性研究结果显示，妇女无法参与卫生设施建设决策的根源在于其社会经济地位低下，且无力影响家庭财务决策。女性户主缺乏独立决策的信心，多数决策依赖配偶或其他男性家庭成员。本研究揭示了家庭内部存在权力层级与权力动态，这制约了妇女参与卫生相关决策的进程。 【研究结论】尽管各国政府与项目实施方均强调妇女应参与卫生项目，但社会文化因素、社区及家庭层面的权力动态往往阻碍妇女参与卫生相关决策。亟需采取措施完善卫生政策并高效推进项目实施，以破解影响户厕采纳与使用的性别权力关系及家庭亲属关系桎梏。