Three Sides to Every Story: Gender Perspectives in Energy Transition Pathways in Canada, Kenya and Spain

This research paper argues that low-carbon energy transitions are social and gendered processes, often dominated by male perspectives. It proposes an 'Alternative Pathways' framework to analyze how different gender perspectives and niche innovations can either work within, depart from, or fundamentally transform the existing energy regime to avoid pathways that are disconnected from local realities.

• Energy transitions toward a low-carbon future are not merely technical or economical but are deeply social and gendered, though this gendered nature is frequently implicit and unexplored.
• The paper introduces an Alternative Pathways framework consisting of three types of pathways: 'on-stream' pathways that promote equal opportunities within the mainstream high-carbon regime; 'off-stream' pathways that promote gender differences and create niches outside the regime; and 'transformative' pathways that establish a new energy regime incorporating all gender perspectives.
• Analysis of energy transitions in Canada, Kenya, and Spain indicates that mainstream pathways are dominated by male perspectives, leading to the exclusion of women's perspectives. This exclusion results in energy pathways that lack public buy-in, are disconnected from local realities, and hinder the speed of a sustainable energy transition.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2020). Three Sides to Every Story: Gender Perspectives in Energy Transition Pathways in Canada, Kenya and Spain. https://www.sei.org/publications/three-sides-to-every-story-gender-perspectives-in-energy-transition-pathways-in-canada-kenya-and-spain/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Three Sides to Every Story: Gender Perspectives in Energy Transition Pathways in Canada, Kenya and Spain. 2020. https://www.sei.org/publications/three-sides-to-every-story-gender-perspectives-in-energy-transition-pathways-in-canada-kenya-and-spain/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Three Sides to Every Story: Gender Perspectives in Energy Transition Pathways in Canada, Kenya and Spain |date=23 May 2020 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/three-sides-to-every-story-gender-perspectives-in-energy-transition-pathways-in-canada-kenya-and-spain/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2020three, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Three Sides to Every Story: Gender Perspectives in Energy Transition Pathways in Canada, Kenya and Spain}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2020}, month = may, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/three-sides-to-every-story-gender-perspectives-in-energy-transition-pathways-in-canada-kenya-and-spain/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }