104 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC • AUGUST 2017
INDIA 1RUWKRI%KRSDOFRPPXQLW\RUJDQL]HU
6DQWRVKL7LZDULOHDGVYLOODJHUVWKURXJKDIDUP
ƃHOGGRWWHGZLWKKXPDQZDVWH6KHH[SODLQV
KRZƄLHVFDUU\IHFDOJHUPVWRIRRGDQGGULQN
RƂHUVWRKHOSWKHPEXLOGWRLOHWVŞDQGWULHV
WRVKDPHWKHPIRUWKHLUXQVDQLWDU\KDELWV
considered the manly thing to do. Patriarchal
advertisements indirectly reinforce that notion,
imploring men to build toilets, not for the health
of the whole family, but to protect their wives
and daughters from sexual harassment out in the
bush and from the shame of lifting their saris out-
doors. One campaign encourages brides to reject
grooms whose assets don’t include a toilet.
And yet, as I saw in Jawda, many rural wom-
en ignore these messages and still head outdoors
themselves. These women and girls may be reluc-
tant to break with tradition or may feel cooped up
inside a latrine, especially one they lack the tools
or inclination to clean. Some may also prize the
opportunity to get together with their girlfriends.
Open defecation, as strange as this may sound to
Westerners, ofers young women a welcome break
from their domestic confines and the oversight of
in-laws and husbands.
Jagdish is proud of his latrine, which he built
with Swachh Bharat funding and his own sav-
ings. His only regret is not digging his pit even