Energy Enabling
Women:
Past, Present,
Future
by
Jacky Scholz
Namibian Electricity Control Board
African Utility Week
Cape Town
8 – 10 May 2006
Introduction
Why does gender matter?
Women perform 2/3 of the world’s work;
Women earn 1/10 of the world’s income;
Women constitute 2/3 of the world’s illiterates;
Women own less than 1/100 of the world’s
property;
Women face a higher ratio of unemployment, 5:8
when compared to men;
More than half of poor people in the world are
found in rural areas and more than half the rural
poor are women
Introduction (cont’)
Following a few pictures of energy events
from Namibia
ECB Kenya Visit
ECB Uganda Visit
Issue of
nd
2
RED licence
SADC Energy Conference
Single Buyer Workshop
Tariff Workshop
ECB House Inauguration
The (Brief) History of Women and
Energy
Women’s history with energy
The role of electricity
Section 95 of the Hague Forum’s
Background Paper on Gender Equality
Earth Summit II Implementation
Programme
The developing world
Energy Saving Time
Energy saves time
Second World War
Women enter job
market
The Appliances of Ms Frederick
The Use of Energy Today
Angola
Wood and charcoal provide 56% of primary energy supply
Biomass is the source of 85% of household energy consumption
Electricity 1% – 2 %LPG – 9%
Kerosene – 5%
Botswana
Main source of household energy is wood
Electricity only available in urban areas
Wood – 69%
Petroleum – 19%
Coal – 5.6%
Electricity – 5.8%
Lesotho
Residential energy consumption accounts for more than 85% of
total consumption
2% - 3% households electrified
The Use of Energy Today
Malawi
Wood provides about 93% of Malawi’s energy, mainly for household
4% of population has access to electricity
Less than 1% of rural homes are electrified
Mozambique
Almost all rural households use firewood for cooking4
0% of urban households use firewood for cooking
50% of rural and 3% of urban households use wood for lighting
Less than 25% of urban households have electricity
Namibia
10% - 15% of rural homes have access to electricity
76% of urban homes have access to electricity
73% - 93% of rural households rely on biomass
75% of rural homes and 40% of urban homes use wood for cooking
The Use of Energy Today
Swaziland
• 2% of households connected to grid
• 90% of gross energy in rural areas is from wood compared with
57% for urban areas and 21% for company towns
Zambia
• Wood fuel provides 68% of total energy supply
• Household consumption accounts for 88% of wood fuel use
Electricity v GDP
Correlation between GDP and
electricity consumption stronger than
between GDP and total energy use,
each per person
If GDP increases x100, electricity
demand increases x1000
Unemployment most effective means
of reducing electricity demand
Full employment requires more
electricity
Working people need energy
Energy and Fertility & Infant
Mortality
Increase in population = increase in
electricity demand
Correlation between fertility and infant
mortality and electricity consumption
per person
“No power is as expensive as no
power”
Underlines opportunities and improved
circumstances energy provides to
women
Link between poverty, energy, health,
education and gender empowerment
Energy and the Rural Women
Role of women in energy policies & decisions
Choice of energy
SA Figures:
11% of workforce (1% = black women)
4% of management (- 1% = black women)
Home Lighting/Connection Point Preferences of Women and Men –
Ghana Project
Women
Men
Kitchen (food preparation)
House Entertainment area (play
Workroom (to earn income)
cards, watch TV, etc)
Bathroom (to wash children)
In rural areas (developing countries) cooking is women’s largest single
energy use (80% of household energy use)
Restrictive access to credit
Low energy consumption and geographic remoteness preclude extension
of conventional electricity grid
Energy and the Rural Women
Rural women primary responsible for collection, distribution
and purification of energy and water to sustain families
Activity
Fuel use
Beer brewing
1kg wood/litre beer
Rice parboiling
1kg wood/0.4 kg rice
Bread making
0.8 – 1.5 kg wood/kg bread
Fish smoking
5 – 12 kg wood/kg smoked fish (40% of
processing cost)
Oil pressing
0.43 kg wood/litre oil
Gari
cassava 1kg wood/4kg gari / cassava
processing
at
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Lives of the Rich better than
the Poor
4.5
4
3.5
3
2.5
Poor
Rich
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
Negative Impact on Women
Arduous and time consuming fuel collection
Time consuming cooking methods
Negative nutritional impacts
Negative health impacts
Lack of time
Limited access to empowerment
Unsafe activities
Limited finances spent on fuel
Lack of input in energy planning
Lack of access to modern technologies
Limited markets
Role of Efficient Energy
Has many positive benefits
Various projects focus on women
Renewable energies the answer?
Raises awareness
Raises life expectancy
The Future
Provide more options & better choices
Energy for income earning activities
Reducing health risks
Better access to credit
Improve information distribution
Training
Education
Participation of women in policies
Raise awareness
Conclusion
Energy can empower women
Cognisance of women’s different needs
Safe, acceptable, reliable and
affordable energy
Consultative approaches
Collection of data
Gender sensitisation
Gender equality