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Financing gender-energy access programmes in Asean

(Eco Business, 5 Apr 2022) Women often get the short end of the stick in rural areas where energy access is poor. In the drive to improve energy access, directing finance to increase the participation of women in the energy sector is necessary.

Energy access plays a big role in a nation’s economy and security, which is why we see countries all around the globe urgently increasing their electrification rates. However, there is a significant gap between energy access in urban areas and rural areas.

Energy planning is centralised, which means that it is often focused on increasing supplies of fuel and electricity for industrial and urban uses. Meanwhile, rural energy needs for domestic, agricultural, and small-scale informal production activities are usually given low priority.

This urban-rural gap contributes to widening gender inequality as these small-scale industries are mostly headed by women. Of the 1.2 billion people living on the equivalent of US$1 a day, 70 per cent are women. In rural areas, women’s responsibilities traditionally include collecting fuel and water. Fewer women have stable jobs compared to men, which makes women more prone to poverty.

Currently, grid-based electrical power does not reach many rural and poor urban areas in developing countries, especially in Asean. Coupled with the inadequate distribution of cooking and heating fuels, many young girls are pushed to leave school to collect firewood for fuel.

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Eco Business, 5 Apr 2022: Financing gender-energy access programmes in Asean