Gender equality: WASH and menstrual health and hygiene 

April 2025

Inadequate drinking water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) pose critical health risks to all children, but have additional implications for the health, psychosocial well-being and mobility of women and girls. Indeed, progress on universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water, and adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all, is now widely recognized as crucial for achieving the SDG goal on gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.

 

Notes on the Data

1. United Nations Children’s Fund and World Health Organization, Progress on Household Drinking Water, Sanitation and Hygiene 2000–2022: Special focus on gender, UNICEF and WHO, New York, 2023.