Pathfinder: Equity and Gender

This pathfinder paper was commissioned by SHARE to provide a basis for future research on equitable access to sanitation and hygiene. It reviews concepts of inequality and inequity, and discusses their significance to issues related to access to sanitation and hygiene services in urban areas. It identifies several particularly significant dimensions of inequality and inequity including: spatial (informal settlements, street homeless), social (gender, generation), health-related (disability, ill-health), and economic (low-income communities and households). Considerations influencing equity are raised, including the difficulties faced by women (safety of facilities/menstrual hygiene), different generational needs, disability/ill-health and the impact of group beliefs and customs. It concludes with recommendations on areas for future research.