Additional Research and Reflections on Gender & the Environment

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Our team’s research extends into many other facets related to gender and the environment including, but not limited to:
• Research on the gendered experiences of water, sanitation, and hygiene, including how experiences are related to mental health
• Commentaries on missed opportunities for gender-related measurement in WASH, the need to consider gender in climate-related WASH work, and the invisibility and undervaluing of women’s WASH labor, among others
• Re-review of WASH interventions to assess women’s engagement in WASH interventions and research activities
• Research on sustainable, climate-friendly homestead food production and women’s empowerment

A list of additional papers related to gender and the environment from our team can be found below.

Journal Articles

Marphatia, A.A., Simiyu, S., O’Kane, M.F., Alexander, K.T., Nascimento de Castro, A.C.A., Azcona, G., Boni-Morkla, P.E., Bukachi, S.A., Busienei, P., Caruso, B.A., Chase, C., Chipungu, J., Dwivedi, A., Johnston, R., Khurana, I., Kome, A., Kuria, W., Labadia, J., Makoni, F., Mberu, B., Mojumdar, S., Mule, J., Sakwa, L.N., Njeri, N., Oliveira de Souza, F.A., Pandolfelli, L., Ramunenyiwa, P., Ray, I., Reddy ,M,. Kumar, P., Sinha, U., Sinharoy, S.S., Slaymaker, T., Uguru, E., Uhl, K., Young, S.L., Ross, I., and Cumming, O. 2025. ‘Gender equality and quality of life must be central to the design and delivery of sanitation,’ BMJ Global Health. 10(1):e018238.
Caruso, B.A., Ballard, A.M., Sobolik, J., Patrick, M., Dsouza, J., Sinharoy, S.S., Cumming, O., Wolf, J., and Ray, I. 2024. ‘Systematic re-review of WASH trials to assess women’s engagement in intervention delivery and research activities,’ Nature Water. 2(9):827-36.
Patrick, M., Hennink, M., Dasmohapatra, M., Rout, M., Clasen, T., & Caruso, B. A. (2023). ‘Influences on water source selection and use among women in rural Odisha, India,’ Frontiers in Water. 5, 7.
Charles, I., Salinger, A.P., Sweeney, R., Batagol, B., Barker, F. Nasir, S., Taruc, R., Francis, N., Clasen, T., and Sinharoy, S.S. 2023. ‘Joint food and water insecurity had a multiplicative effect on women’s depression in urban informal settlements in Makassar, Indonesia during the COVID-19 pandemic,’ Journal of Nutrition. 153(4): 1244-1252.
Caruso, B.A, Chipungu, J., Kulkarni, S, & Ray, I. (2023). ‘Women, Work, and Water,’ The Lancet. 401 (10383), 1139-1141.
Torondel, B., Ferma, J., Francis, S.C., Caruso, B.A., Routray, P., Reese, & Clasen, T. (2022) ‘Effect of a combined household-level piped water and sanitation intervention on reported menstrual hygiene practices and symptoms of urogenital infections in rural Odisha, India,’ International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health. 239: 113866.
Dupuis S, Hennink M, Wendt AS, Waid JL, Kalam A, Gabrysch S, Sinharoy SS. ‘Women’s empowerment through homestead food production in rural Bangladesh,’ BMC Public Health. 2022 Jan;22(134).
Waid JL, Wendt AS, Sinharoy SS, Kader A, Gabrysch S. ‘Impact of a homestead food production program on women’s empowerment: Pro-WEAI results from the FAARM trial in Bangladesh,’ World Development. 2022 Oct;(158).
Ballard, A.M., Cooper, H.L.F. Young, A.M., & Caruso, B.A. (2022). ‘”You feel how you look”: Exploring the impacts of unmet water, sanitation, and hygiene needs among rural people experiencing homelessness,’ PLOS Water, 1(5), e0000019.
Ballard, A.M., Hoover, A.T., Rodriguez, A.V. & Caruso, B.A. (2021). ‘Emphasizing choice and autonomy in personal hygiene, menstrual hygiene, and sexual health product distribution to people experiencing homelessness in Atlanta, Georgia during COVID-19,’ Health Promotion Practice.
Caruso, B. A. and Sinharoy, S.S. 2019. ‘Gender data gaps represent missed opportunities in WASH,’ The Lancet Global Health 7(12) e1617.
Sinharoy, S.S. & Caruso B.A. (2019). ‘On “World Water Day” Gender equality and empowerment require attention,’ The Lancet Planetary Health. 3(5) e202-e203.
Caruso, B.A., Sommer, M., Phillips-Howard, P. A. (2019). ‘All of women’s health needs are worthy of attention,’ The Lancet. 393(10186), 2119.
Caruso, B. A., Cooper, H. L., Haardörfer, R., Hadley, C., Yount, K. M., Routray, P., Torondel, B., & Clasen, T. (2018). ‘The association between women’s sanitation experiences and mental health: A cross-sectional study in rural Odisha India,’ SSM – Population Health. 5, 257-266.
Baker, K. K., Padhi, B., Torondel, B., Das, P., Dutta, A., Sahoo, K. C., Das, B., Dreibelbis, R., Caruso, B.A., Freeman, M.C., Sager, L., & Panigrahi, P. (2017). ‘From menarche to menopause: A population-based assessment of water, sanitation, and hygiene risk factors for reproductive tract infection symptoms over life stages in girls and women in India,’ PLoS One. 12(12), e0188234.
Caruso, B. A., Clasen, T., Hadley, C., Yount, K., Haardöerfer, R., Rout, M., Daspohapatra, M., & Cooper, H.L.F. (2017). ‘Understanding and defining sanitation insecurity: women’s gendered experiences of urination, defecation and menstruation in rural Odisha, India,’ BMJ Global Health. 2(4), e000414.
Girod, C., Ellis, A., Andes, K., Freeman, M.C. & Caruso B.A. (2017) ‘Physical, social, and political inequities constraining girls’ menstrual management at schools in informal settlements of Nairobi, Kenya,’ Journal of Urban Health. 1-12.
Caruso, B. A., Clasen, T., Yount, K. M., Cooper, H. L., Hadley, C., & Haardörfer, R. (2017). ‘Assessing women’s negative sanitation experiences and concerns: The development of a novel sanitation insecurity measure. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14(7), 755.

Ellis, A., Haver, J., Villasenor, J., Parawan, A., Venkatesh, M., Freeman, M. C., & Caruso, B.A. (2016). ‘WASH challenges to girls’ menstrual hygiene management in Metro Manila, Masbate, and South Central Mindanao, Philippines,’ Waterlines. 35(3), 306-323.
Hulland, K. R., Chase, R. P., Caruso, B.A., Swain, R., Biswal, B., Sahoo, K. C., Panigrahi, P., & Dreibelbis, R. (2015). ‘Sanitation, stress, and life stage: A systematic data collection study among women in Odisha, India,’ PloS One, 10(11), e0141883.
Sahoo, K. C., Hulland, K. R., Caruso, B.A., Swain, R., Freeman, M. C., Panigrahi, P., & Dreibelbis, R. (2015). ‘Sanitation-related psychosocial stress: A grounded theory study of women across the life-course in Odisha, India,’ Social Science & Medicine. 139, 80-89.
Caruso, B. A., Sevilimedu, V., Fung, I. C. H., Patkar, A., & Baker, K. K. (2015). ‘Gender disparities in water, sanitation, and global health,’ The Lancet. 386 (9994), 650-651.

Reports

Moschonas, D., Bass, A., Batagol, B., Charles, I., Francis, N., Habsji, H., Hidayat, A., Ilhamsyah, N., Latief, I., Mansfield, R., Marzaman, L., Meo-Sewabu, L., Nasir, S., Prescot, M., Putri, N.I., Rahlina, I., Salinger, A., Sinharoy, S.S., Soegijoko, S., Syamsu, S., Vakarewa, I., Wilson, A., and Wise, I. 2022. ‘Reflecting on Water and Sanitation infrastructure: A toolkit for WASH practitioners on gender and socially inclusive participatory design approaches in urban informal settlements.
Caruso, B.A., Ellis, A., & Sahin, M. (2015). WASH in Schools for Girls E-Course: Increasing national capacity to conduct research on menstrual hygiene management in schools. New York: United Nations Children’s Fund.
Caruso, B.A. (2014). WASH in Schools Empowers Girls’ Education: Tools for Assessing Menstrual Hygiene Management in Schools. New York: United Nations Children’s Fund.
Caruso, B.A., Fehr, A., Inden, K., Sahin, M., Ellis, A., Andes, K.L., & Freeman, M.C. (2013). WASH in Schools Empowers Girls’ Education in Freetown, Sierra Leone: An Assessment of Menstrual Hygiene Management in Schools. New York: United Nations Children’s Fund.
Haver, J., Caruso, B.A., Ellis, A., Sahin, M., Villasenor, J.M., Andes, K.L., & Freeman, M.C. (2013). WASH in Schools Empowers Girls’ Education in Masbate Province and Metro Manila, Philippines: An Assessment of Menstrual Hygiene Management in Schools. New York: United Nations Children’s Fund.
Long, J., Caruso, B.A., Lopez, D., Vancraeynest, K., Sahin, M., Andes, K.L., & Freeman, M.C. (2013). WASH in Schools Empowers Girls’ Education in Rural Cochabamba, Bolivia: An Assessment of Menstrual Hygiene Management in Schools. New York: United Nations Children’s Fund.