Work

Quantifying gender in energy poverty: A critical review of data, methodologies and contextual constraints

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Despite growing scholarly attention to gender and the deepening field of energy poverty, quantitative research remains largely constrained by binary sex categories and it overlooks relational, identity-based, and intersectional understandings of gender. For the first time, this study offers a systematic review of quantitative methods examining gendered energy poverty through a geographical lens, advancing empirical and conceptual debates in the field. Drawing on global literature, this review examines how data, indicators, and socio-political contexts shape the conceptualization and measurement of gendered energy poverty across space, time, and scale, revealing regional disparities and epistemological constraints. This review underscores that gendered energy poverty is a complex and context-dependent issue shaped by intersecting socio-demographic, cultural, and spatial dynamics. While the widespread use of household headship as a gender proxy enables comparability, it fails to capture intra-household and intersectional dimensions of energy deprivation. The geographic concentration of quantitative studies in the Global South, alongside evidence of spatial heterogeneity, highlights the urgent need for more context-sensitive and gender-responsive research designs. This study challenges the assumption that gender quantification alone ensures progress, especially in the male-dominated energy sector, and emphasizes the need for robust, inclusive data to expose structural inequalities. By critically reviewing existing methods, it lays a foundation for more inclusive, justice-oriented, and contextually grounded research. • Quantitative research on gendered energy poverty remains methodologically limited. • Common reliance on household headship as a gender proxy fails to capture intra-household inequalities. • Geographic concentration in Global South research reveals structural and epistemological imbalances. • Advancing equity requires inclusive data and context-sensitive research frameworks. • Justice-oriented methods are essential to advance gender equity, energy access, and climate goals (SDG 5, 7, 13).

Source: Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews

DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2025.116178

Authors: Lin Zhang, Saska Petrova

Institution: University of Manchester

Language: English

Topic: Energy and Environment Impacts

Subfield: Pollution

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Gender equality, Reduced inequalities, No poverty, Affordable and clean energy

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $5,220