Gender and energy: is there a Northern perspective?

Abstract

Energy, in a Northern context, is seen as gender-neutral; women and men are regarded as equal in their uses of and views about energy, hence policies accurately reflect the needs and wishes of the population. However, recent research has shown that the assumption of gender neutrality might be a misconception. This paper tests the hypothesis of gender neutrality in energy in the North by reviewing the available evidence. The paper argues that on the basis of gender equality, it is valid to ensure that women and men's views should be equally reflected in energy policy and that women should have the opportunity of meaningful and rewarding professional career opportunities in the energy sector. The paper uses four questions as the framework of analysis. Are the lives of women and men affected differently in terms of the energy forms they use? If gender differences towards energy exist, are women and men able to exercise choices that reflect those differences about energy? Do women and men in the North have different preferences for energy policy? Are women able to make effective contributions as academics, as activists and as workers in the energy sector? The findings indicate that there would appear to be a distinct gender dimension in the way women's and men's lives are affected by energy use while the evidence about gender differences in preferences for particular primary energy forms as a basis of supply is, with the exception of nuclear energy, equivocal. Women are clearly under-represented as professionals in the energy sector. There are examples of creative approaches to encouraging women to join the sector but less attention seems to be paid to keeping them there. An interesting finding is the shift in attitudes of young men towards attitudes more strongly associated with women: being more environmentally conscious and socially aware. Young men do not always subscribe to the “masculine culture of work”.