Energy matters; gender matters. Both are critical in international efforts to reduce poverty and combat climate change. Goal 5 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is to “achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls”, whilst Goal 7 aims to “ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all”.
The Gender and Energy Research Programme was initiated in order to extend the knowledge base that policy makers require in order to pursue these two goals effectively. A defining feature of the research programme is the firm belief that Goal 7 can be better served if energy issues are examined from a gender perspective. The programme is also concerned with understanding to what extent, and under what conditions, increased energy access can contribute towards Goal 5 and, thereby, also towards poverty reduction. A major purpose of the programme is to start addressing the distinct shortage of data concerning linkages between gender and energy access.
The programme covers seven research projects:
- Productive uses of energy in the street food sector
- Gender factor in political economy of energy sector dynamics.
- Gender and Fossil Fuels Subsidy Reform
- Female microenterprise creation and business models for private sector distribution of low-cost off-grid LED lighting
- Unlocking the benefits of productive uses of energy
- Building the Evidence Base for Women’s Empowerment and Entrepreneurship to Improve Energy Interventions’ Effectiveness: A Literature Review
The research is conducted by consortia that include research institutions, NGOs and private companies, thereby offering the capability to both perform high quality research and create links to policy and practice.
Programme brochure

The ENERGIA Gender and Energy Research Programme is funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID)
Programme news
Publications
![]() | 2018. |
![]() | SEAR Special Feature - Energy access and gender: Getting the right balance. Miscellaneous 2017. |
![]() | The Gender and Energy Research Programme: What we know so far and policy considerations Miscellaneous 2017. |
![]() | Mainstreaming gender in energy sector policy and practice_FULL REPORT Journal Article 2016. |
![]() | Mainstreaming gender in energy sector policy and practice_EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Journal Article 2016. |
![]() | Women and Sustainable Energy: How the work of Ashden Award winners impacts the lives of women and girls Technical Report Ashden, Energia, DFID 2015. |