| dc.description.abstract | The important role women play in water resources management has been recognized for a long time
globally
and in
most societies, they are the ones primarily responsible f
or the management of household water
supply and sanitation. In these societies, women also play the role of family care givers in terms of provision of
food, nutrition, clean water and sanitation. Due to these roles, they depend directly on
the availabilit
y of
water
resources and have therefore accumulated considerable knowledge
on
water in terms of location, quality and
storage methods. Despite the significant roles that women play in water resources management, they face
various challenges that hinder the
m from effectively participating in
its
management in various parts of the
world. The purpose of this study was to examine the various
socioeconomic
factors inhibiting the
participation
of women
in managing water
in
three Divisions of
Kajiado County
in Ken
ya
.
Semi structured
questionnaires,
focus group discussions, key informant interviews and direct observations
were used to collect data.
The key
factors
found to
affect
the participation of
women in water resources management were cultural practices,
gende
r inequalities, lack of formal education, poor access to water sources and lack of decision making power
and land ownership rights. It is recommended that concerted efforts be made to
educate the
local
community,
improve access to water sources through con
struction of multipurpose water projects and gender
mainstreaming in water resources management
in the County
.
Key words:
socioeconomic factors,
water resources
, participation,
wome | en_US |
