Why Energy from Women?

Energy from Women has two purposes: The first one, making professional women from different areas of knowledge visible in energy sector worldwide, recognizing the value of diversity, multiculturalism, and equality. The second one, give a voice to rural women, those who live in isolated, remote and vulnerable environments, where there is still high dependency of  harmful primary energy.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has, among its great challenges, poverty reduction. This Agenda recognizes energy as a pivotal issue to eradicate poverty and to build a sustainable future under three core dimensions: human development, environmental sustainability and economic development. That means if we achieve to meet the Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7) “Affordable and clean energy”, we would contribute to the improvement of people’s quality of life. The SDG7 is considered a catalyst of the Agenda. Thus, it has a direct or indirect relationship with the other SDGs,  and among them, there is the SDG5, “Gender equality”.

To make it clear, the SDG5, by itself, cannot be the only focus of attention to address the discrimination or inequalities that women face. SDG5 is also closely related to poverty reduction, climate change, urban planning, access to utility services such as health, water and energy, and other aspects. Similarly, energy access by itself is not enough. What matters is the generation of goods and services and derived benefits to favor social development and allow sustainable livelihoods to be created.

So, how do we explain the nexus between gender (SDG5) and energy (SDG7)? From my analysis, it is explained by two dimensions: energy consumption and production. On the consumption side, when we recognize that women are the ones who have traditionally assumed domestic work, who depends more on this resource and who are the main ones responsible for cooking, providing water and energy to the home, and when it is not possible, who finds alternatives to ensure family well-being. In general, women are who mostly suffer the impact of the lack of clean energy. On the other hand, on the energy production side, we refer to the participation of women in the energy industry. In this sense, new technologies or renewable energy technologies play a fundamental role to positively impact both dimensions. On the consumption side, when we guarantee access to energy in remote and isolated communities that live in extreme poverty and vulnerable conditions, “energy access is key to opening up opportunities for women and men in developing countries”. On the production side, when we promote greater participation of women in the labor market in energy sector.

First, according to the International Energy Agency, 770 million people have no access to electricity and 75% of this population is located in Sub-Saharan Africa. In addition to this, 2.6 billion people have no access to clean cooking solutions. Firewood is still the dominant fuel for cooking, while 2.5 million premature deaths every year result from air pollution cooking. This mainly affects the lives of people who spend more time at home such as, women, children, and the elderly. However, what does happen when the population has access to clean energy technologies? A diversified family basket is possible since food can be preserved better or cooled for the first time, which in turns, allows access to other kinds of food.  Women’s safety is strengthened, health indicators can be improved and the use of time changes. Time spent collecting firewood is used for access to information and education. Also, there are possibilities to boost economic development, raising entrepreneurship opportunities, especially, empowering women.

Cajamarca, Peru. Photo: Miguel Egido

Second, according to the study: “Renewable Energy: A gender perspective” by IRENA (International Renewable Energy Agency), in the renewable energy sector, women only represent 32% of total full-time employees, of which only 28% of women is dedicated to STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) activities, while the other 45% is dedicated to administrative activities. This study also analyzes the presence of barriers to women participation in the renewable energy (RE) sector. After conducting 1,500 interviews, this study identified that 75% of women recognize the existence of barriers for their participation in the RE sector, and the other 25 % do not see them. By contrast, 40% of men recognize the presence of barriers to women's participation. For this reason, it is worth citing the following reflection: "It is much easier the presence of barriers goes unnoticed for those who do not have to overcome them" (Marta Victoria, Observatorio Crítico de la Energía). This study reflects that among the most cited barriers are social and cultural norms, especially in European countries and the United States, the lack of gender competencies and training programs; and, the lack of inclusive policies and programs.

Diana Rojas, Electronic Engineer. Santo Domingo, Ecuador

Under these scenarios, considering that the COVID-19 pandemic has maximized inequalities, endeavours for a global energy transition should be more inclusive. Undoubtedly, energy transition would bring a series of social, environmental and economic benefits, such as the generation of employment, that is why, both men and women should have equal access to these opportunities, much more in a sector of constant evolution, which demands new and innovative skills. Likewise, it is also necessary that the needs and opinions of everyone are taken into account in decision-making, public policies and the definition of programs.

Energy from Women aims to connect women from energy sector, telling their stories to inspire and motivate many others. Energy from Women also arises as an initiative to show the relevance of women's role in rural areas to boost communities' development.

Bibliography:

Eras-Almeida, A. A., & Egido-Aguilera, M. A. (2020). What Is Still Necessary for Supporting the SDG7 in the Most Vulnerable Contexts? Sustainability, 12(17), 7184. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12177184

IEA. (2021). SDG7: Data and Projections. Retrieved March 3, 2021, from https://www.iea.org/reports/sdg7-data-and-projections#access-to-clean-cooking

IRENA. (2019). Renewable energy: A gender perspective. Abu Dhabi, UAE: International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

Snyder, V., Hallack, M., & Larrea, S. (2018). Género y energía: un tema de todos. Cuadernos internacionales de tecnología para el desarrollo humano. Washington, DC, US: Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo (BID).

UNIDO. (2017). More research on impact of gender-inclusive energy policies can enable progress towards the SDGs. Retrieved March 3, 2021, from https://www.unido.org/news/more-research-impact-gender-inclusive-energy-policies-can-enable-progress-towards-sdgs

United Nations. (2021). Sustainable Development Goals. Retrieved March 3, 2021, from https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/energy/

Victoria, M. (2019). ¿Hay igualdad de género en el sector renovable? Retrieved October 28, 2020, from https://blogs.20minutos.es/la-energia-como-derecho/2019/02/26/hay-igualdad-de-genero-en-el-sector-renovable/?fbclid=IwAR2No5Cg85699ND5OBHCxmpX7WkcKP9uYVYVp2BIB1zOEOko1q3RqsBgRbc