Gender differentials in water access in the urban area of Seridó Potiguar – RN

Abstract

The main objective of this study is to analyze the gender differentials in access to water in urban households in Seridó Potiguar, located in the State of Rio Grande do Norte, using information from the household survey “Vulnerability and Adaptation in the Northeast of Brazil: Local and Regional Perspectives on Urbanization in Seridó Potiguar”, carried out between January 31st and February 23rd, 2017. The analyzed units were female-headed households, female-headed single-parent households and the remaining ones. All the analyzed household arrangements face climatic vulnerability, as almost 60% of households have water at home for up to three days a week. However, in the homes with lower income, the purchase of water and storage capacity are limited, as is the case of female-headed single-parent households, in other words, those who experience the lowest income per capita among the other household arrangements, being the most affected by the climatic situation. In addition to affecting the labor market, climatic events also interfere with living conditions inside homes, which penalizes women twice. The drought brings limitations to access to water, an essential resource for carrying out household chores and care, which are naturally assumed to be a female responsibility. It can thus be concluded that the planning of public policies to mitigate the effects of the drought on the lives of the residents in the urban region of Seridó Potiguar, especially in households headed by women without spouses, is essential in view of climatic confrontation.