Reflection on Engendering the Energy Transition

This chapter provides a reflection on the contribution of the research presented in this book to engendering the energy transition drawing lessons not only from energy policy and practice but also from the water sector and climate finance. Two major overarching themes are identified: (i) the way that gender mainstreaming is playing out in policy; and (ii) how we do ‘gender research’.
Energy policy does appear to have become more responsive of the gender differences in society, although the North has been slower to respond than the South. Gender mainstreaming into policy is made on the basis of implicit and explicit assumptions about the characteristics of a situation and what works to promote a gender equitable energy transition with little attempt to verify these assumptions theoretically or empirically. There appears to be a gap between policy and implementation.
In research, the concept of intersectionality is increasingly used rather than a simple binary of women and men. Mixed methods, combining quantitative and qualitative data gathering and analysis, are considered to provide deeper insights and explanation. Questions are raised about the type of data collected and how it is used.
The overall conclusion is that energy cannot be understood simply as the provision of better access to resources, more adept technology or efficient management practices. Suggestions for further research include demonstrating how power relations and discursive techniques operate in policy, practice and research.