Village women, water and development : an evaluative study of the Upper Region Water Supply Project in Bolgatanga District, Upper Region, Ghana

This paper examines the Upper Region Water Supply Project, Ghana, and its impact on village women. The project's development over a ten year period is outlined to illustrate the manner in which local communities were engaged in maintenance and in water utilization programmes. Using a framework derived from dependency theory of development and a patriarchal model, and data from research in Bolgatanga District, Upper Region, Ghana, an analysis of the underdevelopment of women beginning in the colonial period and continuing into the present stage of development is presented. The paper argues that the training of men in water supply, a traditional work area of women, and the failure to maximize the time-saving benefit to women undermine women's traditional status and their role as equal participants in development. Recommendations to inhibit the creation of a double yoke of patriarchy for Third World women during the development process are offered.