Women and girls bear the brunt of the water and sanitation crisis – a new report by UNICEF and WHO

Women and girls responsible for fetching water in 7 out of 10 households without supplies on the premises, according to the first in-depth analysis of gender inequalities in drinking water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in households

Globally, women are most likely to be responsible for fetching water for households, while girls are twice as likely as boys to carry the responsibility and spend more time doing it each day, according to a new report released today by UNICEF and WHO.

Progress in the field of drinking water, sanitation and hygiene in households (WASH) 2000-2022: A special focus on gender – which provides the first in-depth analysis of gender inequalities in WASH – also notes that women and girls are more likely to feel unsafe using toilets outside the home and are disproportionately affected by lack of hygiene.

“Every step a girl takes to collect water is a step away from learning, play and safety,” said Cecilia Sharp, UNICEF Director of WASH and CEED. “Faulty water, toilets and hand washing at home rob girls of their potential, threaten their well-being and prolong cycles of poverty. Addressing the needs of girls in the design and implementation of WASH programs is critical to achieving universal access to water and sanitation and to achieving gender equality and empowerment.”

According to the report, globally 1.8 billion people live in households without indoor water supplies. Women and girls aged 15 and over are primarily responsible for collecting water in 7 out of 10 such households, compared to 3 out of 10 households for their male peers. Girls under the age of 15 (7%) also go to fetch water more often than boys under the age of 15 (4%). In most cases, women and girls travel longer distances to collect it, losing time in education, work and leisure time, putting themselves at risk of physical harm and road hazards.

The report also shows that more than half a billion people still share toilets with other households, threatening the privacy, dignity and safety of women and girls. For example, recent research in 22 countries shows that among households with shared toilets, women and girls are more likely than men and boys to feel unsafe walking alone at night and to face sexual harassment and other safety risks.

Furthermore, inadequate WASH services increase health risks for women and girls and limit their ability to manage their periods safely and privately. Among the 51 countries with available data, women and adolescent girls in the poorest households and people with disabilities are most likely to have no private place to wash and change clothes.

“The latest figures from WHO show a stark reality: 1.4 million lives are lost each year due to inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene,” said Dr Maria Neira, Director of WHO’s Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health. “Women and girls not only face WASH-related communicable diseases such as diarrhea and acute respiratory infections, they face additional health risks as they are vulnerable to harassment, violence and injury when they have to go outside the home to fetch water or just use the toilet.”

The findings further show that lack of access to hygiene also disproportionately affects women and girls. In many countries, women and girls are primarily responsible for housework and caring for others—including cleaning, preparing food, and caring for the sick—which likely exposes them to disease and other risks to their health without the protection of handwashing. The extra time spent on housework can also limit girls’ chances of graduating from high school and getting a job.

Today, about 2.2 billion people – or 1 in 4 – still do not have safely managed drinking water at home, and 3.4 billion people – or 2 in 5 – do not have safely managed sanitation. About 2 billion people – or 1 in 4 – cannot wash their hands with soap and water at home.

The report notes some progress towards achieving universal access to WASH. Between 2015 and 2022, household access to safely managed drinking water increased from 69 to 73%; safely managed sanitation increased from 49 to 57%; and basic hygiene services increased from 67 to 75%.

But achieving the Sustainable Development Goal for universal access to safely managed drinking water, sanitation and basic hygiene services by 2030 will require a sixfold increase in current rates of progress for safely managed drinking water, a fivefold increase for safely managed sanitation, and a threefold increase for basic hygiene services.

Further efforts are needed to ensure that progress in WASH contributes to gender equality, including mainstreaming gender into WASH programs and policies and the collection and analysis of disaggregated data to inform targeted interventions that address the specific needs of women and girls and other vulnerable groups.

Notes for editors:

The WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Program (JMP) Report – Progress in Household Drinking Water, Sanitation and Hygiene 2000-2022: A Special Focus on Gender – collects data on global progress towards achieving universal access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), including new data on menstrual health and hygiene. For the first time, the report provides a detailed analysis of gender inequalities, highlighting the risks women and girls face due to inadequate access to safe WASH in those countries for which national statistics are available.

Access to report and data here.

Download multimedia content here.

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