Women in developing countries could play major role in sanitation crisis, study finds

"Women in developing countries could play a major role in remedying the situation, if given the chance," Jeanette Brown, a scientist with the University of Connecticut in Storrs, said on Monday at the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), an American Chemical Society press release reports. "A study by the International Water and Sanitation Centre (IRC) of community water and sanitation projects in 88 communities found that projects designed and run with the full participation of women are more sustainable and effective than those that do not," Brown said in a speech on the global crisis in availability of clean water and basic sanitation, the press release states. "However, she said that women often do not have the opportunity to work on such projects because they lack education, or local cultural rules prevent education for women and even prohibit their using local toilet facilities," the press release adds (8/20).