Purpose of the Study:
Although the impact of water collection on the lives of women in sub-Saharan Africa is well documented, the academic community lacks studies that examine how proximate access to water affects girls’ academic enrollment and retention. Specifically, there have been only limited studies done on the correlation between water collection and female attrition rates at the secondary school level – the apex of fallout for female students in sub-Saharan Africa. Hence, the purpose of this study was two-fold: (1) to evaluate the extent to which the formal education of girls is affected by the availability of potable water (2) to assess how water collection impacts girls’ educational progression.
Given the lack of research linking access to water and the realization of gender equality in education, this study acts as a baseline for future investigation.
Significance to the field:
This study argues that reliable access to a safe water source will increase girls' school enrollment and completion rates. Given that women and girls are commonly the primary (non-economic) resource collectors of a family, the underlying logic of this study is that an improvement in the delivery of basic services, such as the installment of indoor plumbing or community wells in arid regions, will mitigate the high drop out rates of school-aged females.
While scores of studies have identified economic constraints and gender biases as determinants of families' schooling decisions, a very limited amount of research has linked access to water and gender disparity in education. Addressing this gap in academic literature is crucial to breaking existing cycles of poverty, underdevelopment and inequality.
The results of this study reveal the way in which a lack of adequate water infrastructure in Kenya’s rural areas hinders women and girls’ daily lives and opportunities for economic and social mobility. Thus, this research serves as a baseline for iteration and expansion, with the long-term goal of developing a greater understanding of the ways in which water development projects and the smarter provision of basic resources may be used as strategies for achieving gender equality in education and advancing human rights.
Although the impact of water collection on the lives of women in sub-Saharan Africa is well documented, the academic community lacks studies that examine how proximate access to water affects girls’ academic enrollment and retention. Specifically, there have been only limited studies done on the correlation between water collection and female attrition rates at the secondary school level – the apex of fallout for female students in sub-Saharan Africa. Hence, the purpose of this study was two-fold: (1) to evaluate the extent to which the formal education of girls is affected by the availability of potable water (2) to assess how water collection impacts girls’ educational progression.
Given the lack of research linking access to water and the realization of gender equality in education, this study acts as a baseline for future investigation.
Significance to the field:
This study argues that reliable access to a safe water source will increase girls' school enrollment and completion rates. Given that women and girls are commonly the primary (non-economic) resource collectors of a family, the underlying logic of this study is that an improvement in the delivery of basic services, such as the installment of indoor plumbing or community wells in arid regions, will mitigate the high drop out rates of school-aged females.
While scores of studies have identified economic constraints and gender biases as determinants of families' schooling decisions, a very limited amount of research has linked access to water and gender disparity in education. Addressing this gap in academic literature is crucial to breaking existing cycles of poverty, underdevelopment and inequality.
The results of this study reveal the way in which a lack of adequate water infrastructure in Kenya’s rural areas hinders women and girls’ daily lives and opportunities for economic and social mobility. Thus, this research serves as a baseline for iteration and expansion, with the long-term goal of developing a greater understanding of the ways in which water development projects and the smarter provision of basic resources may be used as strategies for achieving gender equality in education and advancing human rights.