Gender Dynamics of Ageing in Rural Uganda: Meeting Energy, Water Access and Improving of Shelter/Housing Needs

Aging women in Uganda face a variety of issues, especially in the rural Tororo District. Like many people living in rural Uganda, elderly women do not have access to proper lighting, clean energy for cooking, or housing. Since younger people are moving to the cities for work, the task of walking long distances to collect firewood and water falls to older women due to gender-based expectations in the culture. Added to this, the Tororo District has been hit by environmental degradation from global climate change, killing much of the native grass needed to make housing. This leaves many elderly women living in dilapidated shelters that let in the rain, leaving puddles of water that can negatively impact women’s health. The government of Uganda has set a goal “to increase access to clean, affordable and reliable energy services as a contribution to poverty eradication.” Due to the intersection of traditional gender roles, poverty, and aging, this goal should focus on elderly, rural woman in Uganda.