Energy and Gender for Sustainable Development: A Toolkit and Resource Guide

The 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), also called the Earth Summit, led to international consensus on the need for sustainable development that balances economic growth with concerns for social equity and environmental protection. Extension of the benefits of development to all people, men and women, is fundamental to the fulfillment of the social equity objectives of sustainable development.

Adapted from Gail Karlsson and Susan McDade, “Introduction,” Generating Opportunities: Case Studies on Energy and Women (New York: UNDP, 2001). Available on line at www.undp.org/energy/publications/2001/2001a.htm

In 1995, the UN’s Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing, concluded that throughout the world women continue to have fewer options and opportunities than men. Unequal treatment of men and women, and their differentiated social and economic roles, has also led in many countries to higher levels of poverty for women than for men.

Achieving gender equity is an important reason for attention to women’s needs. Improving the effectiveness of poverty alleviation programs is another relevant consideration. The Millennium Development Goals adopted by the UN General Assembly include a target of reducing by half the number of people living in poverty by 2015. Access to affordable energy services is an essential prerequisite to achieving economic growth and poverty reduction. In order to achieve the global poverty reduction target, the distinct energy concerns of women need to be addressed through gender sensitive policies and programmes.

Approximately 2 billion people throughout the world do not have electricity. About the same number rely on traditional fuels, such as wood, charcoal, dung, and agricultural residues, for cooking and heating. Grid-based electrical power does not reach many rural and poor urban areas in developing countries, nor is there adequate distribution of gas or other cooking and heating fuels.

Increased access to electricity is needed, through extension of power grids as well as installation of decentralised small-scale energy systems powered by diesel fuel or by renewable technologies using solar, micro-hydro, wind, or biomass resources. Distribution and marketing of energy-efficient end-use technologies is also important for reducing overall fuel and electricity requirements. In addition, wider availability of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and other cleaner fuels is needed to provide affordable alternatives to traditional biomass-based cooking and heating fuels.

In order to lift the income levels of poor families and communities, energy policies and projects must be targeted to reach those who are most in need. In many contexts, it is women who suffer the most from conditions of extreme poverty. Of the 1.2 billion people living on the equivalent of one dollar a day, 70 percent are women. Because of their traditional responsibilities for collecting fuel and water, in many developing countries women and girls would benefit the most from access to improved energy services. The time and physical effort expended by women and girls in gathering fuel and carrying water seriously limits their ability to engage in educational and income-generating activities. Literacy rates and school enrolment levels are dramatically different for men and women in many developing countries. Much of women’s time is taken up with difficult and time-consuming chores related to producing and processing food without mechanical or electrical equipment and to cooking without clean-burning fuels and energy-efficient appliances.

Many women and girls also suffer from health problems related to gathering and using traditional fuels. In addition to the time and physical burdens involved in gathering fuel, women suffer serious long-term physical damage from strenuous work without sufficient recuperation time. Women must worry about falls, threats of assault, and snake bites during fuel gathering. They are also exposed to a variety of health hazards from cooking over poorly ventilated indoor fires, including respiratory infections, cancers, and eye diseases. Smoke from poorly ventilated indoor fires accounts for close to 2 million premature deaths per year.

Reduced drudgery for women and increased access to non-polluting power for lighting, cooking, and other household and productive purposes can have dramatic effects on women’s levels of empowerment, education, literacy, nutrition, health, economic opportunities, and involvement in community activities. These improvements in women’s lives can, in turn, have significant beneficial consequences for their families and communities.

The Gender-Energy-Poverty Nexus: Can We Find the Energy to Address Gender Concerns in Development?, by Joy S. Clancy, Margaret Skutsch, and Simon Batchelor (2003). Available on line at http://www.sparknet.info/uploads/file/gender-energy-poverty.pdf. Paper commissioned by the United Kingdom's Department for International Development (DFID) to explore current thinking on the gender-energy-poverty nexus, in particular to review the key issues and highlight areas that need to be addressed, and to suggest actions and further studies that need to be undertaken in order to "find the energy to address gender concerns."

“Gender and Health Issues in the Biomass Energy Cycle: Impediments to Sustainable Development,” by Anoja Wickramasinghe, in Energy for Sustainable Development VII, No.3 (September 2003). Available on line at http://www.ieiglobal.org/esd.html. Sri Lanka relies heavily on women’s labour for energy generation in the domestic sector, using biomass resources, which leads to serious impacts on women’s health. Data for this report were gathered through a questionnaire-based survey of households in Sri Lanka and field discussions, observations, and ethnological records.

“Gender and Household Energy: The International Context,” by Joy S. Clancy (2003). Available on line at http://www.sparknet.info/goto.php/view/7/theme.htm. This briefing paper examines the linkages are between gender, household energy, and moving people out poverty. The first section looks at the gender-energy-poverty nexus in general and then how household energy can contribute to reducing vulnerability and empowering women. Women are the specific focus since they generally have the responsibility for providing household energy. The section finishes with a review of how international development agencies address gender and household energy issues. The second section discusses privatisation of the energy sector and the impacts of fossil fuel combustion, in relation to gender and household energy. The paper is aimed at researchers and practitioners in the energy sector, as well as those involved in social development.

“Mainstreaming Gender in Energy Planning and Policies: UNESCAP Project on Capacity Building on Integration of Energy and Rural Development Planning." Draft background paper prepared for the Expert Group Meeting hosted by UNESCAP/UNDP. Available on line at http://www.energia.org/pubs/papers/dutta_egmbckgr.pdf. The paper begins by addressing the question “Why gender in energy?” It points out that gender differences and inequalities have consequences for energy needs, uses, and priorities. As a result, women are more affected by limited access to energy, especially in rural areas. The paper also looks at gender in traditional energy policy, noting that women’s energy needs have been left out because they do not fit into the traditional energy paradigm.

1. Adapted from Gail Karlsson and Susan McDade, “Introduction,” Generating Opportunities: Case Studies on Energy and Women (New York: UNDP, 2001). Available online at www.undp.org/energy/publications/2001/2001a.htm