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In traditional families, women are supposed to be the health, hygiene and sanitation manager. Before women can perform the onerous role of manager effectively and efficiently they should have positive outlook and approach towards them. This study was conducted to understand the attitude and awareness towards the hygiene and sanitation, the level of sanitation and problems thereof, among the women of pastoral community in Kutch district of Gujarat. The study was organized under the auspices of Water and Sanitation Management Organization (WASMO), Gujarat, under the supervision of experts from WASMO and TERI School of Advanced Studies, New Delhi.
Through various ethnographic and participatory methodologies the study examines various factors on which women’s attitude and awareness towards health, hygiene and sanitation depend. Further the study also examined the social, psychological and health problems of women in pastoral community due to improper sanitation facilities. The key findings of the study were that the attitude and awareness of women towards the hygiene and sanitation, and the level of sanitation depend on various local factors of the community and the village in which they live like, the economic condition and livelihood pattern, social and cultural outlook, NGO intervention, level of literacy, availability of water etc. Secondly the lack of proper sanitation causes serious psychological, physiological and health problems to the women.
The study establishes that the health, hygiene and sanitation situation of the women in pastoral community can be ameliorated. As the problem is interwoven with the various socio, economic and cultural factors of the community and the village, it is emphasized that problem of women in pastoral community can neither be addressed in isolation nor delineated from the state of hygiene and sanitation of the community as a whole. So the study recommends a long-term strategic intervention of the government and the NGOs to elevate the situation keeping in mind the sensitivities of the community and the relevant local factors.
