Browsing by Author "Chicombo, Adelia"

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    Gendered energy transition in Mozambican urban households
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2022-12) Chicombo, Adelia; Ndevu, Zwelinzima; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. School of Public Leadership.
    ENGLISH SUMMARY: The demand in urban environments for solid fuels is responsible for the unprecedented forest degradation in developing countries. Not surprisingly, solid fuels comprise the bulk of urban energy demand, and a marginal number of urban households use clean energy sources for their most energy-intensive services. Evidence shows that biomass consumption has a disproportional effect on women. However, mainstream energy transition scholars are arguably circumscribed by the Developed countries, where access to modern energy sources is no longer the subject of debate. Instead, the energy transition debates are driven mainly by the climate change paradox. Three objectives guided this study: (1) to develop a theoretical framework for a gendered energy transition for urban households; (2) to assess gendered energy profiles and energy services in urban households in Mozambique; and (3) to examine pathways to gendered urban energy transitions in Mozambique at the household level (Figure 4.1 depicts the detailed avenues that were followed). The first objective was accomplished using a systematic integrative literature review. The findings revealed that the existing energy transition frameworks lack a gender perspective. With this narrative, the study augmented and illustrated the theoretical framework for the gendered energy transition in urban developing households. This led to one of this study’s arguments, which is the need for a localised and contextual analysis approach to better inform decision-makers for developing suitable gendered energy policies and strategies. For that, the study used Mozambique as a case study and surveyed 381 families in Maputo city. The results show that energy consumption patterns within households are deeply gendered. Also, the households are mainly male-headed, and there is an inverted direction between who uses the fuel and the gender who pays for it. The gender of the household head did not influence decisions on fuel choice; rather, it was the educational level of the household heads that influenced their fuel choices. Women are responsible for most of the household’s energy services, especially cooking and washing clothes and dishes. Through a deductive-inductive approach, informed by the theoretical framework, exploratory interviews and the survey results, the study developed gendered energy transition pathways. The study suggests the need to implement gender-sound strategies based on a local assessment of gendered energy services. This requires interaction between the market, government and civil society. Finally, the study recommends further analysis of fuel prices and households’ purchasing power to evaluate other factors contributing to traditional fuel-stacking. There is also a need to debate the efficacy of the existing gender strategy through gender audit research.