Assessing gender and energy in urban household energy transitions in South Africa: A quantitative storytelling from Groenheuwel informal settlement

Abstract

Energy transition in urban informal households requires gender considerations in everyday practices. However, few urban energy transition studies provide empirical evidence on gendered issues in informal settlements to inform policy on achieving affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all. This study contributes to the scientific and policy knowledge gap on the relevant aspects to consider when managing the energy transition challenge posed by fast-growing informal settlements in urban Africa. Using quantitative storytelling, the study analyses a sample of 100 households from Groenheuwel informal settlement in South Africa and presents critical insights into where the gender of the household head matters. The basis for the analysis was on six aspects that can affect everyday household practices in the energy transition, namely, household characteristics, household composition, household building type, household fuel decision making, household energy expenditure and household energy service flows. Although the study used gender as a general perspective to build a knowledge base on household energy transition, the results show that not every aspect is associated with gender. In the Groenheuwel community, gender matters in the household characteristics and some aspects of household composition, which makes it necessary to take a gendered perspective in household fuel decision making, household energy expenditure and household energy services flows. These results also present divergent perspectives and are expected to vary across multiple scales and other urban environments.