Integration of Gender Issues

Introduction

Access to better energy services can improve women’s social, economic and political status — reducing the time and effort involved in household chores, providing better health and educational conditions, expanding income-generating opportunities, and easing their participation in public affairs. At the same time, greater sensitivity to gender issues increases the effectiveness of energy programmes and policies, as well as other types of development activities that involve energy use, by ensuring that the needs and concerns of both men and women are taken into account. Availability of kerosene or liquefied petroleum gas, improved stoves, electricity, and mechanical power significantly improves the quality of life for women in rural areas and relieves them of much of the difficult, unpaid work currently required to care for their families.

Decision-makers often view their energy related choices as gender neutral, however men and women are affected differently by energy policies wherever their home, work and community roles differ. Economic development policies thought to be gender blind may actually reinforce gender inequalities. For example, small amounts of electricity at home in the evening hours may improve the quality of life for some members of the family, allowing them to read or watch television, while for women, it may simply extend the burdens of the working day into the evening hours when they would otherwise be able to rest. Attention to these sorts of differing interests is needed in order to achieve effective and equitable distribution of energy and development services. Using a ‘gender mainstreaming’ approach ensures that the different impacts of an action or policy for men and women are evaluated so that gender inequality is not perpetuated.

In What Ways Are Women in Developing Countries Particularly Affected by Lack of Energy Services?

• They grow food, maintain households, raise children, and operate small-scale enterprises without mechanical or electrical equipment or modern fuels.
• They have to find, collect and carry water and traditional fuels such as wood, charcoal, and agricultural wastes.
• They suffer health problems from hauling heavy loads, working over smoky fires, and giving birth without adequate health care facilities.
• They lose out on education and employment opportunities due to their household burdens.

Women in rural areas rarely have access to motor vehicles, or even carts or draft animals, to help them transport their loads. In addition to the time and physical exertion involved in gathering fuel, women must worry about falls, threats of assault and snake bites during fuel gathering.

Indoor air pollution from burning coal, wood and traditional biomass fuels is a significant source of particulate pollution in rural homes and ‘informal’ urban settlements/slum areas. Smoke from traditional cooking and heating methods contains dangerous amounts of toxic substances that contribute to respiratory disease, cancer and eye problems. Every year more than 1.6 million, mainly women and children, die from illnesses linked to indoor air pollution.

Source: Energia: Fact Sheet on Energy, Gender and Sustainable Development.

For more information on gender and energy visit the website of the United Nations Development Programme.

Options for integrating Gender issues into energy projects

Gender is relevant to both demand and supply in the energy sector. While the State-led, formal electricity grid offers greater access, more usage flexibility and may therefore be seen as relatively gender neutral, the informal, decentralised and alternative energy supply options call for great care in achieving a gender sensitive match between demand and supply.

Gender impacts of decentralised, renewable energy projects can be addressed at two levels: within the project ‘by doing it better’; and by ‘broadening and deepening’ beneficiary impact through the socio-economic linkages brought about by such projects. The latter involves giving greater attention to women's income generating activities (both beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries).

To maximise beneficial impact, energy projects (particularly those that promote renewable, decentralised supplies) need to take gender-differentiated needs into account. Gender is also significant for the efficacy of operation and maintenance (O&M) and for the sustainability of the energy supply - which are both determined by who is involved and trained. Lastly, energy, because of its links with development, necessitates an analysis of gender within a wider market context.

The wider analysis of gender brings out two points. First, to achieve a more gender balanced impact, sustainable energy projects must expand their focus from project specific benefits to broader multiplier effects which arise from productive activities that generate income. This can also bridge the “exclusion gap” between beneficiary and non-beneficiary and allow greater numbers to benefit. Secondly, possibly to a lesser extent, this implies that any saving resulting from the switch to an appropriate renewable energy alternative (e.g. income that used to be spent on other energy sources such as kerosene oil) should be re-oriented toward productive use. This article argues for a wider perspective on impacts, expanding from project level impact to a perspective emphasising multi-disciplinary, sectoral and institutional links in renewable energy projects. Such a perspective will also bring into focus women's involvement in informal sector activities that provide energy services for productive (income generating) end use activities. Such projects can achieve greater positive impacts on gender relationships by moving from a supply focus towards one of stimulating greater productive use of energy (as against only consumptive use such as lighting).

Country-wise experience

Experience with gender issues in Hyrdo projects Sri Lanka

Gender analyses of project level impacts of village micro-hydro schemes in Sri Lanka indicate that renewable technologies are not gender neutral and that benefits are viewed differently by gender according to social roles and responsibilities. Further, the impacts of such projects on all beneficiaries, but particularly on women, are limited by constraints in end use. This relates to the limited access to the advantages of the energy by women in UChhs as mentioned above. Given this scenario, what is the way forward ? Recommendations for a “doing it better” approach, that is improvements that stay within the project confines (Dhanapala, 1995), include:

1. Gender balance in ECS participation. Greater efforts should be made to integrate women in ECS, by making the latter into family-centred organisations that meet on holidays and at times convenient to all. Developing ECS institutional guidelines and procedures, raising awareness regarding gender balance, and by making membership open to all family members over 16, rather than to one designated family representative only, would all improve the situation.

2. De-mystifying micro-hydro technology, through householdwide training including safety practices, and through using women in demonstration and training activities.

3. Knowledge and use of gender disaggregated information throughout the project cycle. Development facilitators should be trained on gender awareness, on indicators for monitoring purposes, and should be equipped with skills to integrate gender in both the implementation and operational stages of projects. Evaluation visits to both connected and unconnected households should target both genders.

Beyond this, the impact, and especially the gender balance of the impact, of renewable energy projects such as village micro-hydro schemes can be deepened and broadened by pushing impacts beyond the limits of project-bound benefits. This requires more linkages between energy services and economic activities, particularly those of women. End uses should be oriented towards existing skills and markets, and in particular include informal sector activities undertaken by women (e.g. sewing, beedi wrapping, incense stick making, cinnamon peeling) Currently, the main benefit of the energy supply is usually that existing activities are continued after dark, leading to greater outputs. Greater benefits would arise if new mechanised economic activities were stimulated, such as electric sewing, rice milling, carpentry or other workshops. In order to achieve more significant support, energy supplying or facilitating agencies should link with micro-credit and business development organisations, which promote activities at the community level.

This emphasis on both improving projects and expanding the extent of their impacts will allow for increased participation by women in projects and their benefits. Benefits will include increased incomes and socio-economic empowerment. Projects will enable greater access to, and awareness of, energy supply options. Given such increase in quantifiable benefits, such projects would in turn become more likely to be attractive bankable investments, paving the way for a greater access by communities to localised energy supply options.

Ethiopia: Gender and Hydro Study

Gender and Hydro Study - Ethiopia 2009

References

Dhanapala, Kiran (1995) Gender Related Impact of Micro Hydro Technology at the village level, ITDG - Sri Lanka Tampoe

Moira (1997) Project Completion Report for the Village Hydro Project, draft version

Wijayatunga, Priyantha (1998) Prospects of new and renewable energy sources in Sri Lanka; pricing and other issues, Paper presented at LIFE Seminar, Colombo, Sri Lanka, held January 1998

Source: Dhanapala, P. 1998. Beyond project boundaries. Improving gender impacts of Village Micro-Hydro schemes. ENERGIA News Issue 2.3, August 1998. URL: http://www.energia.org/resources/newsletter/en_081998_artkd.html