ENERGIZING FINANCE: UNDERSTANDING THE LANDSCAPE

The report finds that development finance for energy projects with gender equality objectives remains low, accounting for only 9% of total energy development finance in 2018, significantly lower than the 42% average across all sectors. It highlights systemic challenges in tracking this finance, including inconsistent reporting and a lack of energy-sector-specific guidance for OECD-DAC gender markers. To address these gaps, the document proposes a three-step framework for project documentation: defining the specific gender inequality context, stating a clear intent to address it throughout the project cycle, and demonstrating a direct link between the financed activities and the identified inequality. It also provides a taxonomy of gender inequalities in the energy sector, categorizing them into workforce/economic opportunities and household/workplace energy access.

• Development finance for energy projects with a gender equality objective is disproportionately low compared to other sectors; in 2018, it represented 9% of total energy development finance, while 42% of total DAC member assistance across all sectors targeted gender equality.
• Funding for gender-focused energy projects is highly concentrated, with 10 agencies providing 93% of the USD 2.4 billion tracked finance with a gender equality marker in 2017 and 2018.
• Tracking gender-focused energy finance is hindered by a lack of sector-specific guidance in the OECD-DAC Gender Equality Policy Marker Guidance and a tendency for agencies to over-report gender outcomes.
• Women face significant systemic barriers in the energy workforce, including submitting less than 11% of patent applications and making up less than 30% of the energy sector labour force.
• Energy poverty disproportionately impacts women's health and safety; women and children account for 85% of deaths from biomass-induced air pollution, and women face gender-based violence when gathering fuel in areas lacking lighting.
• The report recommends a three-part criteria for project documentation to improve tracking: setting the context of gender inequality, stating the intent to address it across the project cycle, and demonstrating a direct link between activities and outcomes.

APA

Sustainable Energy for All (2020). ENERGIZING FINANCE: UNDERSTANDING THE LANDSCAPE. https://www.seforall.org/system/files/2020-12/EF-2020-UL-Gender-SEforALL.pdf

Chicago

Sustainable Energy for All. ENERGIZING FINANCE: UNDERSTANDING THE LANDSCAPE. 2020. https://www.seforall.org/system/files/2020-12/EF-2020-UL-Gender-SEforALL.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Sustainable Energy for All |title=ENERGIZING FINANCE: UNDERSTANDING THE LANDSCAPE |date=2020 |url=https://www.seforall.org/system/files/2020-12/EF-2020-UL-Gender-SEforALL.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{sustainableenergyforall2020energizing, author = {{Sustainable Energy for All}}, title = {{ENERGIZING FINANCE: UNDERSTANDING THE LANDSCAPE}}, institution = {Sustainable Energy for All}, year = {2020}, url = {https://www.seforall.org/system/files/2020-12/EF-2020-UL-Gender-SEforALL.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }