Water fetching burden: A qualitative study to examine how it differs by gender among rural households in the west region of Cameroon

Abstract

Women act as gatekeepers in securing water for their households. Using this qualitative methodology, 35 participants were interviewed with the objectives to determine roles and responsibilities of different family members in fetching and managing water and examine differences in perceptions related to water access/use between men and women in households from rural areas of the Menoua Division, West Cameroon. We found that the household structure was key component in each family member’s degree of involvement in water fetching and management. A significant gender gap was found among adults with fewer men than women experiencing coping strategies-related to water scarcity. Hence, women participation in designing water and food security initiatives is warranted.

Acknowledgements

All the authors have read and approved the final manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The study was partially supported by the University of North Carolina at Greensboro’s scholarships awarded to primary author in recognition of academic and scholarly achievements and research carried out to address health disparities at the global level.