Increasing access to clean and affordable energy and improving gender equality are two major sustainable development goals (SDGs) that are believed to be strongly linked. With electricity access, less time and effort in the developing world is needed for tasks related to cooking, water collection, and other housework, which are typically undertaken by women.
"The prevailing view with electricity access is that if households receive a grid connection, it should especially benefit women," said Daniel Armanios, assistant professor of Engineering and Public Policy (EPP) at Carnegie Mellon University.
A new study published in Nature Sustainability, however, shows that the linkages between these goals can be more complex than anticipated. "It's not enough to just look at access, because that does not adequately consider the local social context and household power dynamics," said Armanios, the study's corresponding author. "You have to look at whether the use (of that electricity) is equitable as well." The research team also includes fellow CMU EPP professor, Paulina Jaramillo, as well as first-author Meital Rosenberg and Michaël Aklin, a professor of political science, both from the University of Pittsburgh.
Using data collected from electrified areas of rural India, the team shows that as households gain access to basic levels of electricity, men in the households tend to dominate electricity use patterns, which could in turn suggest men benefit more than women from such access.
The researchers employed a two-part mixed-methods approach to understand how electrified households use energy. First, Rosenberg traveled to Gujarat, India, where she conducted detailed interviews with over 30 women in electrified households. These interviews revealed what appliances were in each household and, importantly, who typically used them.
