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

The research argues that energy transitions are social and gendered processes, often dominated by male perspectives. By applying an Alternative Pathways framework—categorized into on-stream, off-stream, and transformative pathways—the study examines the impact of excluding women's perspectives in the oil sands of Canada, large-scale renewables in Kenya, and the shift to renewables in Spain, concluding that such exclusions lead to pathways disconnected from local realities and slower sustainable transitions.

• Energy transitions to a low-carbon future are not merely technical or economic but are deeply social and gendered, though the gendered aspect is frequently implicit and unexplored.
• The paper utilizes an Alternative Pathways framework consisting of three types: on-stream pathways (promoting equal opportunities within the mainstream), off-stream pathways (promoting gender differences outside the energy regime), and transformative pathways (creating a new energy regime inclusive of all gender perspectives).
• Analysis in Canada, Kenya, and Spain reveals that mainstream energy pathways are dominated by male perspectives, while the exclusion of women's perspectives results in transitions that lack public buy-in, are disconnected from local realities, and are slowed down.

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} }