Unraveling Relationships in the Energy-Poverty-Gender Nexus

This chapter attempts to unravel some of the relationships in the gender, energy and poverty nexus. It starts by explaining that there is an energy dimension to poverty, and considers why energy policy and planning in most developing countries has paid scant attention to this. Energy poverty is a concept that captures the energy dimension of poverty. It has a number of effects on poor families, which tend to use less energy than wealthier ones. To understand more clearly why energy planning fails the poor, one has to understand that it involves two quite different sub-sectors: the modern sector, including renewable energy technologies (RETs), and the traditional sector. New and RETs can be considered part of the modern, commercial energy sector and are receiving increasing attention. Of several important reasons, the chapter explores: the structure of mainstream development theories and the failure of the energy sector to keep abreast of developments in other sectors as regards gender.