Women Empowerment And Multidimensional Energy Poverty: Evidence From Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

With myriads of policy options accessible for alleviating energy poverty, the women empowerment-energy poverty link has gained diminutive scrutiny notwithstanding its capacity towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7, with an emphasis on economic and a green energy transition by 2030. A rising demand exists to extend equitable opportunities for energy resources towards accomplishing SDG 7 which has a ripple influence on reaching multiple SDGs and other significant economic targets. This study utilises multidimensional metrics to evaluate the effect of women's empowerment on energy poverty. Data employed for the research was obtained from the Demographic and Health Surveys program across 33 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa totaling 132,143 women married or living with a partner as the analytical sample. Descriptive statistics, bivariate analyses, ordinary least squares, and two-stage least squares econometric techniques were applied to this inquiry. The statistical findings which adjusted for endogeneity indicate that the empowerment of women reduces energy poverty. The results are resilient across various measures of energy poverty. The dominance analysis of the four components of women's empowerment (autonomy, education and literacy, resource ownership, and attitudes towards gender-based violence) reveals that education and literacy substantially impact the reduction of energy poverty. The study further demonstrates that women's empowerment affects energy poverty via entrepreneurial opportunities given to women that expand their economic and social capacities. To alleviate energy poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa, it is advocated that initiatives specifically developed to foster women's empowerment should be promoted. Secondly, government and non-governmental organisations‘ initiatives to reposition women need to focus on multiple dimensions of female empowerment, predominantly on their capacity to make pronouncements and their economic position within society.