Women, Energy, and Economic Empowerment: Applying a Gender Lens to Amplify the Impact of Energy Access

摘要

There are two well-accepted narratives related to economic growth. First, vast gender inequalities remain throughout the world and are closely linked to poverty and instability. Second, access to modern energy enables economic advancement. Until now, however, exploration into the relationship between these two narratives has been limited. What is missing, it seems, is the linkage between energy access and women's economic empowerment. Under what context does gender equality rise with access to electricity, what are the channels through which this change occurs, and, how significant are the economic benefits to women? Can donor institutions and governments reap more meaningful results by targeting energy development programs that enhance benefits for women, and if so, how? In this Point of View, we explore these questions. We believe that while there are many areas critically important for women's development, energy access programs are an underexplored lever for women's economic empowerment.