How India 'Tied The Knot' Between Brides and Bathrooms

Solving the peculiar issue of open defecation in India might seem straightforward - just build more toilets, right?

However, even after constructing community toilets in rural areas, the government faced an unexpected challenge: people were not using them!

The age-old tradition of waking up before dawn, walking to nearby fields, and defecating in the open with a symbolic ‘lota’ was deeply ingrained. For many rural residents, the idea of defecating within their home premises, even though inside a toilet, felt filthier. They believed that open defecation kept waste far from their homes, maintaining cleanliness. In Haryana alone, in 2004, about 70% of rural households preferred this practice.

Generations inherited not just heirloom jewellery and ancestral homes, but also the practice of open defecation. Policymakers soon realised that this required not just an infrastructural change – but a behavioural one!

Brides, Grooms, and Bathrooms: A Behavioural Shift Through the ‘Soon-to-Be Weds’

Women generally feel less comfortable than men in 'doing their business' in broad daylight, out in the open. In the absence of toilets, many women resorted to 'holding it back until it gets dark.' Doing this was extremely unhealthy, leading to numerous women suffering from UTIs, and liver and kidney problems. But if people cared enough about women's health, they would have already been more accepting of toilets.

Policymakers understood that women's health alone wasn't a strong enough motivation for people to start using toilets. They thought that, while people in rural India might not prioritise women's health, they are extremely sensitive about women's dignity, often linking it directly to their own pride and social standing.

Understanding this cultural nuance, policymakers smartly shifted their strategy. They connected toilet use to protecting women's dignity and respect, tapping into deeply ingrained societal values. This move not only addressed the practical need for toilets but also resonated with the community's sense of honor and reputation. They played on the strong sense of ‘shame’ that got associated with households that were still forcing women to resort to open spaces.

But the campaign didn’t stop there. It brought slogans like ‘No Toilet, No Bride,’ which basically told women to refuse to marry into a house without a toilet. This genius move put power in the hands of women, encouraging them to demand a basic utility in their future homes.

Plus, this strategy played perfectly into Haryana’s skewed sex ratio - which is the worst in India. While an unbalanced sex ratio is generally a big worry, we all know how economists love scarcity! Indian weddings are often more of an economic affair than a love affair. A scarcity of women meant that it was harder to find a bride for marriage than it was to find a groom, which heightened the demand for brides in Haryana. This gave potential brides an upper hand in bargaining for their demands - which in this case, was a toilet.

Flushing Out the Change - Was ‘No Toilet, No Bride’ Successful in Haryana?

This campaign had a tangible impact. How do we know that? Because the increase in toilet construction was noticed in areas where marriage-age individuals resided, and not elsewhere. In Yaniv Stopnitzky 's paper, "No Toilet, No Bride? Intrahousehold Bargaining in Male-Skewed Marriage Markets in India," he notes a significant 23% increase in toilet construction in households where marriage-age individuals resided. In homes with older men beyond the typical marriage age or where women were more than men, the campaign didn’t lead to significant changes in toilet adoption.

Who would have thought the journey to using more toilets would wind through the hallowed traditions of Indian weddings?

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