Women in Energy: Perspectives on Engaging Women Across the Energy Value Chain: The Case of wPOWER

Abstract

Globally, 1.2 billion people lack access to electricity (IEA2016). Over 2.7 billion people, representing approximately 38% of the global population, rely on traditional biomass for cooking, mainly by burning wood, charcoal, crop waste and animal dung in open fires and on inefficient cookstoves (IEA 2016). This population remains concentrated in subSaharan Africa (SSA) and India, with estimates showing that the two regions account for over 850 million of those without access to electricity. Research has since confirmed that indoor air pollution, as a result of inefficient use of solid fuels, accounts for the premature deaths of 4.3 million people annually (Lim and Vos 2012). Most of these victims are women and children (Lim and Vos 2012), with current statistics indicating that approximately 800,000 children under the age of five die each year due to household air pollution (WHO 2016). Culturally, and more so in rural areas, women are the primary users of these inefficient cooking methods that increase their exposure and the risk of multiple detrimental health impacts. On the other hand, degradation of natural resources due to unsustainable harvesting and inefficient energy use means that women spend more hours (at least five hours a day) collecting fuel for cooking (GACC n.d.). Most women and girls have limited access to education and opportunities for empowerment due to time-consuming chores such as foraging for firewood, cooking and taking care of the household (Coltrane 2000)