The Gender Factor in Political 
      Economy of Energy Sector 
      Dynamics 
             
                    
                     
                   23 January 2019 
                   This publication has been realized within the scope of ENERGIA’s Gender and Energy Research 
                   Programme, funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID). ENERGIA, 
                   the  International  Network  on  Gender  and  Sustainable  Energy  is  hosted  by  Hivos,  an 
                   international organisation that seeks new solutions to persistent issues. 
                    
                   The views and opinions expressed in the publication are those of the authors. They do not 
                   necessarily reflect ENERGIA’s, Hivos’ or UK government’s views and/or official policies. 
                    
                   Citation: MSSRF and CRT Nepal (2019). The Gender Factor in Political Economy of Energy Sector 
                   Dynamics. Research report RA3, ENERGIA 
                    
                   Cover Photo 1: Woman in the driving seat of the electric three wheeler in Kailali, Nepal. Photo: 
                   CRT 
                   Cover Photo 2: Rural woman working on measuring fat content of milk in Dindigul, Tamil Nadu. 
                   Photo: MSSRF 
                                                    
                                                   
                                                                                           
                 The Gender Factor in Political 
                 Economy of Energy Sector 
                 Dynamics 
                 M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, Chennai, India  
                 Centre for Rural Technology, Kathmandu, Nepal 
                  
                                                  ENERGIA INTERNATIONAL NETWORK ON GENDER & SUSTAINABLE ENERGY                                       3 
                                                                                                   
                                           Contents 
                                           Contributing organisations and authors                                              8 
                                           Executive summary                                                                   9 
                                           Acknowledgements                                                                   21 
                                           Abbreviations                                                                      22 
                                           Glossary                                                                           23 
                                           List of Figures and Tables                                                         29 
                                                    Background                                                                30 
                                           1.1.     Introduction                                                              30 
                                           1.2.     Research Objectives and Questions                                         31 
                                           1.3.     Intersection of Gender and Energy                                         31 
                                           1.4.     Bringing Gender into Political Economy Analysis                           34 
                                           1.5.     Research Methods and Field Sites                                          35 
                                                    Selection of Research Sites                                               35 
                                                    Social Context of the Research Sites                                      36 
                                                    Selection of Villages                                                     37 
                                                    Review and Analysis of Policy Documents                                   39 
                                                    Dynamic Factors and Complexity of Change                                  40 
                                           1.6.     Diffusion of Research Findings and Involvement of 
                                                    Stakeholders                                                              42 
                                                    Potential Application to Other Rural Regions:                             42 
                                                    Tracking the Praxis of Policy Change                                      43 
                                           1.7.     Theory of Change                                                          43 
                                                    The value of rural women’s labour in production and 
                                                    transformation in cooking energy                                          45 
                                           2.1.     The Problem: High and Persistent Use of Woodfuel                          45 
                                           2.2.     Why a New Framework is Needed: The Limits of Household 
                                                    Income as an Explanatory Variable                                         48 
                                           2.3.     The Role of Women’s Unvalued Labour                                       49 
                                           2.4.     Fuel Stacking in India                                                    51 
                                           2.5.     Fuel Switching in India                                                   52 
                                           2.6.     Fuel Switching in Nepal                                                   55 
                                           2.7.     Opportunity Cost of Women’s Labour                                        56 
                                           ENERGIA INTERNATIONAL NETWORK ON GENDER & SUSTAINABLE ENERGY                         4