Energy, Gender and Development : What are the Linkages? Where is the Evidence?
This report reviews the literature on the links between energy access, welfare, and gender in order to provide evidence on where gender considerations in the energy sector matter and how they might be addressed. Prepared as a background document fo...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Policy Research Working Paper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2012
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| Online Access: | http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20110920094004 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/3564 |
| Summary: | This report reviews the literature on
the links between energy access, welfare, and gender in
order to provide evidence on where gender considerations in
the energy sector matter and how they might be addressed.
Prepared as a background document for the 2012 World
Development Report on Gender Equality and Development, and
part of the Social Development Department's ongoing
work on gender and infrastructure, the report describes and
evaluates the evidence on the links between gender and
energy focusing on: increased access to woodfuel through
planting of trees and forest management; improved cooking
technologies; and access to electricity and motive energy.
The report's main finding is that energy interventions
can have significant gender benefits, which can be realized
via careful design and targeting of interventions based on a
context-specific understanding of energy scarcity and
household decision-making, in particular how women's
preferences, opportunity cost of time, and welfare are
reflected in household energy decisions. The report focuses
on the academic peer-reviewed literature and, although it
applies fairly inclusive screening criteria when selecting
the evidence to consider, finds that the evidence on many of
the energy-gender linkages is often limited. There is thus a
clear need for studies to evaluate interventions and
identify key design elements for gender-sensitive project design. |
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