“Electricity is result of my good deeds”: An analysis of the benefit of rural electrification from the women's perspective in rural Nepal

Abstract

Energy dearth condemns many women to use whole days and a good chunk of their nights for basic needs reducing their productivity and potential. In the plethora of studies on rural electrification and its benefits, women's perception on the benefit of electrification is under-researched. With a mixed methods approach, this study examines the benefits women participants believe they receive from electrification. Using the perception of 230 survey respondents, sample participants from 30 semi-structured interviews, 20 in-depth interviews, 72 participants across focus group discussions and 17 key informant interviews in rural Nepal, we explore how women perceive the benefit of electricity through thematic analysis. This paper uncovers the perceived benefit of electricity from the women's perspective not only on the time saving, better health, happiness and education but also delves into the theme of empathy, capability, availability, finance and socio-cultural factors. The results show that electricity is perceived as the factor that increases women's capability and improves their relationships with their spouses, among other benefits, analyzed from the perspective of the women. Despite this, there is little evidence that employment is increasing in the study area and this was because of the socio-cultural factor. Centered in Nepal, this study contributes insights into the understanding of how access to electricity facilitates rural women and recommends additional research on the link between electricity with socio-cultural factors.