Contribution short abstract

Gendered labour and time in water collection have often been measured through self-reported time estimates. By using GPS and feminist ethnography, I aim to examine how gendered mobilities, labour and time for water are shaped by spatio-temporal dynamics, intersectional identities and social norms.

Contribution long abstract

The daily provision of water for domestic use in rural northern Ghana is gendered. Here, water responsibilities fall on women due to gendered division of labour, structured by social reproduction and entrenched cultural norms. This labour demands significant time, physical effort, and mobility across multiple water collection points, often in distant locations. Yet, existing discourses on water and gender, including global assessments, have, over the years, relied on participant self-reported estimates to measure time spent on water-related activities. Beyond over- and/or underestimation, self-reported estimates overlook how temporal factors (daily, seasonal rhythms), spatial dynamics (water facilities' location across different landscapes), intersectional identities (age, gender, class), and social norms influence who moves, when they move, and how far they are willing to travel for water. Sensor-based mobility tracking, particularly Global Positioning System (GPS), provides another way to capture actual travel paths and waiting time. However, the use of GPS in gender-water research is limited. By combining GPS tracking with feminist ethnographic interviews and observations, this research maps gendered water activity spaces and uncovers real-time and mobility patterns that may otherwise remain overlooked in mainstream gender and water research or be distorted through self-reported estimates. Torsten Hägerstrand's time geography is an important framework to draw on here, while feminist geography situates men and women within power relations that shape gendered labour. The research contributes to broader discussion on gender and water labour, time, and mobility by engaging with African peripheral regions, where postcolonial histories shape everyday access to resources, including water.