Page 2 - A Case Study on The Value of Engaging Women in the Energy Provisioning Process
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The Value of Engaging Women in the Energy Provisioning Process
1. Introduction
The problem of energy access or in fact of energy poverty lies at the core of the global developmental
challenge today, as 83 per cent of humanity—over 6 billion people—still live in poor economic and
social conditions. This worsening human suffering is based on a lack of energy, because energy is
the driving force of development and modernity (Clemente 2015).
As the world prepares to transition from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), access to sustainable, affordable, and reliable energy
becomes an even more critical pre-condition to eradicating poverty and achieving sustainable
development. The World Bank’s latest report, based on the second edition of the SE4All Global
Tracking Framework (GTF 2015), estimates that 1.1 billion people worldwide are still living without
access to electricity, with highest concentrations in Africa and Asia. Another 2.9 billion rely on wood
or other biomass for cooking and heating, resulting in indoor and outdoor air pollution, attributable to
4.3 million deaths each year (SE4ALL 2015). Although there has been a positive decline of 0.1
billion in the number of people without access to electricity, in the case of access to clean cooking
alternatives, there has been negligible progress overall, and despite concerted efforts in making such
alternatives available and accessible globally, the number of people using traditional solid biomass
fuels for cooking have largely remained the same.
Much remains to be done in this scenario, as the continued lack of access to energy severely
undermines health, inhibits education, limits livelihood opportunities, and reduces the chances for
the poor to rise out of poverty, ultimately diminishing the world’s chances to successfully achieve the
SDGs by 2030. Even though global efforts are headed in the right direction to end energy poverty, the
rate of interventions is far behind the population rate of growth and calls for dramatic accelerations
in mobilizing resources to increase access to renewable energy alternatives.
1.1 Women and Energy
Women are a key, though underutilized, resource in the energy service delivery process. Primarily
viewed only as energy consumers, in the majority of affected regions it is the women that experience
energy poverty much more severely than men (UNWOMEN 2014). There are clear correlations
between poverty, the lack of access to energy, and gender inequality as it is well known that men
and women in developing countries have differing roles and responsibilities, which is reflected in their
energy needs and priorities (ECREEE 2014). In most BoP1 communities across the world, the entire
burden of providing for a family’s energy needs falls on women. In the absence of modern sources of
energy for lighting and cooking, women spend nearly 40 hours a month collecting fuel wood, which
ironically, when used to cook over open fires causes her and her family to develop severe respiratory
and lung diseases. On an average, women endure 14-hour long work days to fulfill just the basic
needs of their families, that is, fetching water (which requires them to walk several miles every day)
and providing food (Cecelski). With no time, energy or opportunity to pursue any developmental or
livelihood activities, women remain confined to their homes, making it nearly impossible to break
free from drudgery and poverty. Forced into lives of dependency and subordination, as non-earning
members, they end up having limited or no decision-making powers and are allowed lesser and lesser
access to education, credit, land, and power (Cecelski).
1 Bottom of Pyramid
2
1. Introduction
The problem of energy access or in fact of energy poverty lies at the core of the global developmental
challenge today, as 83 per cent of humanity—over 6 billion people—still live in poor economic and
social conditions. This worsening human suffering is based on a lack of energy, because energy is
the driving force of development and modernity (Clemente 2015).
As the world prepares to transition from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), access to sustainable, affordable, and reliable energy
becomes an even more critical pre-condition to eradicating poverty and achieving sustainable
development. The World Bank’s latest report, based on the second edition of the SE4All Global
Tracking Framework (GTF 2015), estimates that 1.1 billion people worldwide are still living without
access to electricity, with highest concentrations in Africa and Asia. Another 2.9 billion rely on wood
or other biomass for cooking and heating, resulting in indoor and outdoor air pollution, attributable to
4.3 million deaths each year (SE4ALL 2015). Although there has been a positive decline of 0.1
billion in the number of people without access to electricity, in the case of access to clean cooking
alternatives, there has been negligible progress overall, and despite concerted efforts in making such
alternatives available and accessible globally, the number of people using traditional solid biomass
fuels for cooking have largely remained the same.
Much remains to be done in this scenario, as the continued lack of access to energy severely
undermines health, inhibits education, limits livelihood opportunities, and reduces the chances for
the poor to rise out of poverty, ultimately diminishing the world’s chances to successfully achieve the
SDGs by 2030. Even though global efforts are headed in the right direction to end energy poverty, the
rate of interventions is far behind the population rate of growth and calls for dramatic accelerations
in mobilizing resources to increase access to renewable energy alternatives.
1.1 Women and Energy
Women are a key, though underutilized, resource in the energy service delivery process. Primarily
viewed only as energy consumers, in the majority of affected regions it is the women that experience
energy poverty much more severely than men (UNWOMEN 2014). There are clear correlations
between poverty, the lack of access to energy, and gender inequality as it is well known that men
and women in developing countries have differing roles and responsibilities, which is reflected in their
energy needs and priorities (ECREEE 2014). In most BoP1 communities across the world, the entire
burden of providing for a family’s energy needs falls on women. In the absence of modern sources of
energy for lighting and cooking, women spend nearly 40 hours a month collecting fuel wood, which
ironically, when used to cook over open fires causes her and her family to develop severe respiratory
and lung diseases. On an average, women endure 14-hour long work days to fulfill just the basic
needs of their families, that is, fetching water (which requires them to walk several miles every day)
and providing food (Cecelski). With no time, energy or opportunity to pursue any developmental or
livelihood activities, women remain confined to their homes, making it nearly impossible to break
free from drudgery and poverty. Forced into lives of dependency and subordination, as non-earning
members, they end up having limited or no decision-making powers and are allowed lesser and lesser
access to education, credit, land, and power (Cecelski).
1 Bottom of Pyramid
2
