This paper assesses the linkages between childhood health, water-related diseases and gender equality in Brazil. Due to poor access and quality of water and sanitation services in Brazil, there is a high incidence of water-related diseases among children. In this context, women’s gender roles of caregivers place a heavier burden on their lives as they are the ones who need to abstain from their daily professional, educational, and personal activities to take care of their sickened children. This burden is more severe on the lives of Afro-Brazilian women, as black and brown people experience lower levels of access to safe water and adequate sanitation, higher incidence of water-related diseases, and more women perform unpaid care activities. In this sense, this policy brief will explore the interrelation between water-related diseases in children and gender equality in Brazil, answering to the following questions: how do water- related diseases affect gender equality in Brazil and what solutions can be proposed to reduce its impact on women’s lives?

By: Ana Clara Cathalat

Published on March 31, 2021