Why we need to talk about Energy Access and Gender

In this blog for the Energy, Environment and Resources in Developing Countries module, Molly explores the posed by energy access and gender.

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Written by Molly Tinker

In 2020 13% of the global population lack access to modern electricity [1]. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 7 aims to achieve universal access to affordable and clean energy by 2030 [1].

How does gender affect energy usage?

There is an established gender occupational segregation across the world. Social norms dictate that women are more likely to be engaged in housework and agriculture [2]. Prevailing gender roles result in women using energy differently. onsequently, women often bear the brunt of energy poverty.

In rural Nepal, women spend up to 6 hours a day collecting fuel, leaving little time for income-generating activities [3]. When women are overburdened their daughters are more likely to be kept home from school to help, reinforcing gender inequalities across generations [3].

Energy poverty also impacts women’s health and security. 4 in 10 women wake up each morning and light a fire [3]. Lacking access to clean cooking causes indoor air pollution. According to the World Health Organisation [4], household air pollution is responsible for 4 million premature deaths annually.

Lastly, anecdotal evidence has found that women are more at risk of sexual violence when they collect fuel and water and go outside after dark [5]. In Kenya research found that women prioritised lighting outside their homes for improving security, particularly when using the toilet at night [3].

Providing energy access offers huge opportunities for improving the health, security, education and income of women.

Including women in the conversation 

Providing energy access is however not enough. Studies in Peru have shown that interventions to provide access that do not consider gender, together with local norms and practices, can hinder women’s development. Provision of access is tacitly designed to become a realm largely dominated and controlled by men [3].

Different kinds of energy access provide different services, some electrification might only provide enough power for basic lighting. It is crucial that women are consulted in the planning process, to provide a service that can make a difference in their lives [3]. Taking a gender-blind approach to providing energy access could deprive half of the population of its benefits.

Despite the time savings expected with electrification, women often devote this time to unpaid work [2]. To achieve maximum impact, interventions should challenge existing roles. In rural Afghanistan the highest benefit to female empowerment was seen when interventions included training and recruiting women as engineers [6].

Not so simple

This work is easier said than done. The inertia in prevailing gender roles was evident in a project to create employment for women in Ghana. Focus groups revealed women’s preferences for carrying on the same trade as their elders [2]. Before promoting policies, actors should understand why women choosethe activities they do.

Ultimately, taking a bottom-up gendered approach to energy access is crucial. Both because there is huge potential for women to benefit from energy access and because without including them in the conversation these benefits cannot be realised.

References 

  1. United Nations, Economic and Social Council. Report of the Secretary General: Special Edition: progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. 2019. United Nations: New York. [Accessed 23/02/20] https:// undocs.org/E/2019/68
  2. Pueyo, A. Maestre, M. Linking Energy Access Gender and Poverty. Energy Research and Social Science. 2019. 53 pp. 170-181. [Accessed 23/02/20] https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2019.02.019
  3. Practical Action. Poor People’s Energy Outlook. 2019. Practical Action Publishing: Rugby. [Accessed 23/02/20] http://dx.doi.org/10.3362/9781780447834
  4. World Health Organization (WHO). Household Air Pollution and Health [online]. 2018. WHO, Geneva. [Accessed 23/02/20] https:// www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/household-air-pollutionand-health
  5. Rewald, R. Energy and Women and Girls: Analysing the Needs, Uses, and Impacts of Energy on Women and Girls in the Developing World. 2017. Oxfam, Boston. [Accessed 23/02/20] https://www.oxfamamerica.org/explore/ research-publications/energy-women-girls
  6. Standal, K. and Winther, T. Empowerment Through Energy? Impact of Electricity on Care Work Practices and Gender Relations. Forum for Development Studies. 2016. 43(1) pp. 27-45 [Accessed 23/02/20] https://doi.org/10.1080/08039410.2015.1134642

Image credit

Random Institute, Unsplash