Energy Poverty Burdens Rural Women

The proverbial energy poverty faced by rural communities negatively impacts the social well-being of women and children in those areas.

And limited access to clean or ‘green’ energy will likely have detrimental effects on women’s health and economic opportunities.

Rural women’s living conditions and productive time is often compromised due to the utilisation of conventional biofuels like wood or charcoal.

The main producers and consumers of household energy are women and children. Contextually, women and girls in many African cultures are regarded as the custodians of a household’s well-being and maintenance.

Women are often given the responsibility to collect firewood to use in the preparation of food, and this can involve strenuous walks over long distances coupled with heavy lifting.

This time and physical effort could have contributed to the improvement of their living standards.

Women are also vulnerable to violence like sexual harassment, as the collection of energy resources usually takes place in the early morning when there may not be other people around.

Energy simultaneously serves as a tool for development and a source of both economic and environmental problems.

For example, the gases and smoke emitted by biofuels like firewood can affect health by increasing the risk of contracting respiratory problems such as bronchitis and asthma.

In terms of the environment, burning biofuels creates greenhouse gases and the collection of firewood increases deforestation – both of which contribute to global warming.

Establishing free-standing solar power systems in areas densely populated by women and children would spur household electrification, which in turn would improve school attendance and performance for pupils, including girls.

The type of employment opportunities for women would increase, as more girls complete primary and secondary education.

One of the major benefits of household electrification is that it frees up the productive time spent on household chores, owing to the use of more efficient electrical appliances.

It could also improve health, as households gain the ability to store perishable foods and medications.

Furthermore, electrification on a large scale could help ease some of the tensions caused by competition for scarce resources –such as firewood – by communities whose territories overlap.

To have a significant impact in our communities, the private sector needs to collaborate with government institutions to accelerate the implementation of clean or ‘green’ energy initiatives.

• Lilongeni Unoovene is a renewable energy consultant.