This self-paced online course on gender-inclusive sanitation has been developed under CREA’s Gender and WASH Program to strengthen understanding of gender inclusion within sanitation systems. The course builds conceptual clarity on power, patriarchy, gender, sexuality, and intersectionality in the context of WASH; introduces the rights-based approach to equity and equality, and provides practical approaches for designing, planning and implementing inclusive sanitation.
Who is this for?
This course is designed for development practitioners, WASH professionals, urban planners, policymakers, sanitation service providers, civil society organisations, and students seeking to integrate gender and social inclusion into sanitation systems. Through short online modules, case studies, and quizzes, learners develop the skills to identify gender-based barriers across the sanitation value chain and apply rights-based, people-centred approaches to design and implement sanitation solutions that are inclusive, safe, affordable, and responsive to diverse needs and identities.
Format & Outline
Session 1: Power, patriarchy, & WASH
Session 2: Gender, sexuality, intersectionality, & WASH
Session 3: The Rights framework
Session 4: Making gender-inclusive sanitation
Prepare for the course
Ensure a stable internet connection and a quiet learning environment. Keep a notebook or digital tool handy for reflections and exercises.
Course Objectives
1: You will learn about creating accessible and equitable sanitation facilities and practices, including understanding power and patriarchy, its various forms, identifying how gender and sexuality affect access to and experience of WASH in daily life, and implementing strategies for inclusion in WASH programs.
2: The course includes practical examples and real-life experiences to facilitate learning and provide knowledge for implementation.
Course Structure
- 1.1 About session 1
- 1.2 Understanding power: key concepts and definitions
- 1.3 Where does power operate?
- 1.4 What are the different forms of power?
- 1.5 Vignettes on forms of power in the context of WASH
- 1.6 How is power expressed?
- 1.7 How do power structures arise?
- 1.8 How do power structures sustain themselves?
- 1.9 What role do fear and violence play in sustaining power structures?
- 1.10 Additional resources on power
- 1.11 Understanding patriarchy: key concepts and definitions
- 1.12 How does patriarchy control women’s lives?
- 1.13 How does patriarchy impact the WASH ecosystem?
- 1.14 Vignettes on how patriarchy shapes daily life in the context of WASH
- 1.15 Additional resources on patriarchy
- 1.16 Key takeaways from session 1
- 2.1 About session 2
- 2.2 Distinction between gender & sex
- 2.3 Gender is a social construct
- 2.4 Gender terminology
- 2.5 Vignettes on gender & sex in the context of WASH
- 2.6 Additional resources on gender & sex
- 2.7 Understanding sexuality
- 2.8 What sexuality encompasses
- 2.9 The continuum of sexuality
- 2.10 Commonly used labels to describe sexualities
- 2.11 Vignettes on different sexualities
- 2.12 Additional resources on sexuality
- 2.13 Understanding intersectionality
- 2.14 Intersectionality wheel
- 2.15 Intersections of caste, economic status, and gender oppression
- 2.16 Intersections of caste, gender, occupation, and access to resources
- 2.17 Vignettes on intersectionality in the context of WASH
- 2.18 An intersectional lens
- 2.19 Gender, sexuality and intersectionality vocabulary
- 2.20 Additional resources on intersectionality
- 2.21 Key takeaways from session 2
- 3.1 About session 3
- 3.2 Equity and equality: key concepts and definitions
- 3.3 Additional resources on equity and equality
- 3.4 Gender equity and equality: key concepts and definitions
- 3.5 Why should gender equality matter to me?
- 3.6 Learning about CEDAW
- 3.7 Gender equality in the SDGs
- 3.8 Challenges/issues in bringing gender equity/equality
- 3.9 Vignettes on gender equity and equality in the context of WASH
- 3.10 Additional resources on gender equity and equality
- 3.11 Rights-based Approach (RBA): key concepts and definitions
- 3.12 Enabling conditions for RBA to work
- 3.13 Roles and responsibilities under the right-based framework
- 3.14 Barriers and gatekeepers in women’s access to their rights
- 3.15 Key takeaways from session 3
- 4.1 About session 4
- 4.2 Understanding sanitation and the sanitation value chain
- 4.3 Right to Sanitation (RTS)
- 4.4 Guarantees of RTS under international human rights law
- 4.5 Rights-based approach in sanitation
- 4.6 Gender inclusion across the sanitation value chain
- 4.7 Additional resources on the RTS and the sanitation value chain
- 4.8 The need for inclusive sanitation
- 4.9 Framework for inclusive sanitation
- 4.10 Vignettes on inclusive sanitation practices
- 4.11 Barriers and bottlenecks to inclusive sanitation at the policy level
- 4.12 What can be done to bridge the gender gap: levers for change
- 4.13 Additional resources on inclusive sanitation
- 4.14 Key takeaways from session 4
- 5.1 Disclaimer
- 5.2 Acknowledgements
- 5.3 Abbreviations
- 5.4 Glossary