Abstract
For climate change mitigation a rapid phase-out of fossil fuels such as coal is necessary. This has far-reaching gender-specific consequences. This paper presents a systematic map of the literature that examines the impact of historical coal phase-out processes on women and their role in these processes. The search process consists of screening 2,816 abstracts and reading 247 full-text studies. The analysis of the 73 publications ultimately included in the systematic map shows that past coal phase-outs meant, both opportunities (e.g. increased labour market participation) as well as burdens for women (e.g. double burden of job and household). It becomes clear that agency within coal transitions was also gendered. For example, it was difficult for women to gain access to union structures, which led them to organise themselves into grassroots movements. Our research shows that policies aiming for a just sustainability transition should always be explicitly gender-responsive. However, the impact of sustainability transitions on women's lives remains largely under-researched. Therefore, we propose a research agenda based on our findings containing six key issues that need to be addressed scientifically.
Highlights
IntroductionAll sectors of the economy (e.g., agriculture, transport, industry) will need to undergo deep decarbonisation to achieve a limit of global warming below 1.5 or 2 degrees, as stipulated in the Paris Agreement [1]
All sectors of the economy will need to undergo deep decarbonisation to achieve a limit of global warming below 1.5 or 2 degrees, as stipulated in the Paris Agreement [1]
Turning towards women’s agency, our analysis showed that women active in the political struggle around various historical coal transitions tended to organise themselves in less institutionalised ways compared to men
Summary
All sectors of the economy (e.g., agriculture, transport, industry) will need to undergo deep decarbonisation to achieve a limit of global warming below 1.5 or 2 degrees, as stipulated in the Paris Agreement [1] These low-carbon transitions have a gender dimension, since they affect women in different ways than they affect men [2]. Women often work in less secure jobs with a lower level of unionization, which could lead to (uncompensated) job losses in case of structural change These differences in conditions (lower financial resources, less time available due to care work, etc.) mean that women have less agency and opportunity to promote their interests and viewpoints in the political arena, where transition policies are decided [3]. An additional five studies (7%) appeared to have mixed authorship
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