Gender, Culture and Energy Transitions in Rural Africa

The paper argues that including gender concerns in energy decision-making improves development outcomes, though practice often focuses on technological fixes over systemic equity. Using a case study of a solar mini-grid in Zambia, it demonstrates that energy transitions are not gender-neutral and that benefits are unevenly distributed due to existing socio-cultural norms.

• Integrating gender concerns into energy sector decision-making leads to better development outcomes, although current practical applications often prioritize immediate needs and technological solutions over the broader socio-economic and political contexts required for true gender equity.
• The transition to modern energy services, specifically the Mpanta solar mini-grid in rural northern Zambia, is not gender neutral; socio-cultural practices and norms resulted in an uneven distribution of benefits between men and women despite the technology providing general community benefits.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2018). Gender, Culture and Energy Transitions in Rural Africa. https://www.sei.org/publications/gender-culture-and-energy-transitions-in-rural-africa/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Gender, Culture and Energy Transitions in Rural Africa. 2018. https://www.sei.org/publications/gender-culture-and-energy-transitions-in-rural-africa/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Gender, Culture and Energy Transitions in Rural Africa |date=26 November 2018 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/gender-culture-and-energy-transitions-in-rural-africa/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2018gender, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Gender, Culture and Energy Transitions in Rural Africa}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2018}, month = nov, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/gender-culture-and-energy-transitions-in-rural-africa/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }