Water scarcity in rural areas has far-reaching socioeconomic implications, especially for women and girls in rural areas who are primarily responsible for water collection. The limited water resources exacerbate poverty and already existing gender inequalities. Improving access to water is, therefore, an investment in the empowerment and resilience of women and girls (Caruso et al., 2022). It is one of the sustainable development goals (SDG6) that contributes to the empowerment of women and girls and promotes the achievement of SDG 5 (empowering women and girls and gender equality). This study will analyze how rainwater harvesting promotes the empowerment of rural women. In this research, we refer to rainwater harvesting as the collection and storage of rainwater for future use and various purposes. The study employs a multistage sampling technique to collect primary data from 1200 rural women. Data will be collected from the same respondents across the two distinct seasons in Nigeria: rainy and dry seasons. The logit model will be used to determine the factors influencing women’s use of rainwater harvesting in rural areas while a propensity score matching method will be employed to estimate the effect of rainwater harvesting on the empowerment status of rural women. The research will provide valuable insights for water policies to address water scarcity, taking into account gender perspectives. Keywords: Rainwater harvesting, women empowerment, improved water access, rural water supply
