Energy transition discussion focusing on gender equality: Pursuing a green and fair energy transformation, Part 1
In the pursuit of a sustainable and prosperous world, it's crucial to address an often overlooked aspect: the impact of social roles on energy consumption. Traditionally, household management energy usage has been attributed primarily to women, a fact that is seldom considered in energy-related projects.
The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5, which aims to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls, is considered the foundation for a peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable world. However, gender differences in energy usage within housing and transportation are not adequately addressed in these projects.
Research has identified significant gender differences in household energy consumption. In some cases, male households consume 6-38% more energy than female households, while other studies show increased energy demand among female households due to factors such as owning older and more energy-intensive devices, spending more time at home, and living in buildings that are less well insulated.
Women's travel behavior is often associated with greater complexity, as they make more frequent stops to perform professional and care functions. Consequently, men consume more energy on gasoline, with Norwegian men consuming 70% more and Greek men consuming about 350% more than women.
The unequal distribution of care work is another factor that is often ignored in the evaluation of energy data. Women are more likely to use public transport, but transport infrastructure is still designed for male travel patterns, which tend to be more linear and direct.
To promote sustainable transformation in energy consumption patterns, a balanced influence of each gender at the decision-making level is essential. The marketing of more efficient technical equipment primarily targets male customers, ignoring the different needs and energy usage of women. This gap can be bridged through gender mainstreaming, which aims to integrate the gender perspective into public policy-making and promote equality by challenging and improving existing structures.
Gender mainstreaming is more common in the Global South, with a focus on international cooperation and poverty reduction. Projects in the Global South often focus on electrification to minimize traditional female roles as caregivers and promoting women as new entrepreneurs within national energy sectors.
However, it's important to consider differences such as race, ethnicity, religion, disability, age, or sexual orientation within gender mainstreaming. The organization that advises politics on the approach of gender mainstreaming in the energy sector is the Global Women’s Network for the Energy Transition (GWNET), which promotes gender-sensitive action around the energy transition worldwide.
Despite numerous international conventions and gender action plans, there's a significant data gap regarding the connection of energy and gender. Bridging this gap is essential for a comprehensive understanding of energy consumption patterns and for the development of effective policies that promote gender equality.
SDG 7 emphasizes the importance of ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all. By addressing the gender gap in energy consumption, we can move one step closer to achieving this goal and creating a more sustainable and equitable world.
