Publication:
Social Influences on Gender Equity in Access to and Benefits from Energy

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Files in English
English PDF (821.88 KB)
661 downloads
Date
2012
ISSN
Published
2012
Editor(s)
Abstract
This background paper has been commissioned as a contribution to the preparation of the World Development Report 2012 which will focus on development and gender equality. It is a companion paper to two other papers which examine gender issues in relation to common property resources and economic dimensions of gender and energy. Gender, as a concept, refers to the socially determined ideas and practices of what it is to be female or male. It contrasts with the concept of sex which uses biological attributes to categorise someone as male or female (Reeves and Baden, 2000). This paper focuses on the socio-cultural dimensions that influence and shape gender equity in terms of access to and benefits from access to modern energy and improved energy technologies. Gender equity recognises that women and men have different needs and interests, and that to achieve equality in life outcomes, a redistribution of power and resources is required (Reeves and Baden, 2000).
Link to Data Set
Citation
Clancy, Joy; Matinga, Magi; Oparaocha, Sheila; Winther, Tanja. 2012. Social Influences on Gender Equity in Access to and Benefits from Energy. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/9207 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.
Associated content
Report Series
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue

Related items

Showing items related by metadata.

  • Publication
    The Role of Technological Change in Increasing Gender Equity with a Focus on Information and Communications Technology
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2012) Jacobsen, Joyce
    This paper considers the potential role of various transformative general-purpose technologies in affecting gender equity. The particular technologies considered at length and contrasted are four network technologies: electricity and water provision on the one hand, and the newer information and communications technologies of the Internet and mobile phones on the other. Available evidence on the effects of transformative technologies, both historically and in recent developing country contexts, is surveyed. The results indicate difficulties in finding cleanly measurable factors due to the complex nature of the effects of the technologies, as well as the containment of many effects in the household/nonmarket sector rather than the market sector. However, there is some optimism regarding continued expansion of electrification and the use of mobile phones in particular for improving women's empowerment.
  • Publication
    Exports, Equity, and Empowerment : The Effects Of Readymade Garments Manufacturing Employment On Gender Equality In Bangladesh Bangladesh
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2012) Hossain, Naomi
    Bangladesh has become known as something of a success in advancing gender equity since the 1990s. There have been rapid gains in a number of social and economic domains, yet by most objective standards the current condition and status of women and girls within Bangladeshi society remain low. Rapid progress has come about under conditions of mass poverty and interlocking forms of social disadvantage, political instability and under-development, overlain with persistent 'classic' forms of patriarchy. Mass employment of women and girls in the country's flagship export sector - the readymade garments (RMG) sector - has been one of the more visible and prominent changes in women's lives since its late 1970s' introduction.
  • Publication
    Key Entry Points for Gender Equity in Energy Access, Energy Policy, Renewable Energy, and Transmission and Distribution
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2019-03) World Bank Group
    The World Bank is committed to addressing gender equality in energy operations as part of both its new gender strategy and its gender monitoring system,known as the Gender Tag. The World Bank Group Gender Strategy (FY16–23) focuses on four main objectives: (i) Improving Human Endowments; (ii) Removing Constraints for More and Better Jobs; (iii) Removing Barriers to Women’s Ownership and Control of Assets; and (iv) Enhancing Women’s Voice and Agency and Engaging Men and Boys; The Gender Tag asks teams to establish strong links among gender analysis, actions, and monitoring and evaluation. It expects teams to establish a logical results chain to demonstrate how they will address gender gaps identified in the analysis through particular actions, and how they will monitor the progress of these actions. These one-pagers provide hands-on, practical guidance to help task teams close gender gaps in energy operations. They address four energy subsectors—energy access, energy policy, renewable energy, and transmission and distribution—and provide entry points for achieving objectives of the Gender Strategy. The guidance is designed to help task teamsstart the dialogue about how they could close gender equality gaps in their operations both internally as well as with clients. The entry points draw on lessons learned from World Bank energy operations that successfully closed gender equality gaps, as well as from the literature on gender and energy.
  • Publication
    Gender Perceptions In Southeast Asian Countries : Findings From Jica-Ri Value Surveys
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2012) Yoshida, Kohei
    1. Introduction It is increasingly clear that gender equality varies conceptually from one country to another, as shown by indicators developed in the 1990s by several international organizations. The UNDP Human Development Report, for example, introduced two indicators in 1995: the Gender-related Development Index (GDI) and the Gender Empowerment Measure (GEM), both of which demonstrate that women�s basic capabilities and the extent of their participation in political and economic decision-making processes are highly variable. While these and similar indicators are based on macro indices, some studies focus on the gender equality perceptions of individuals. The literature shows that attitudes toward gender equality are affected by respondents' own backgrounds, such as marital status and educational attainment, and that the effects can differ from one country to another. This research allows policy makers to differentiate groups and thereby to consider what kinds of policies can have what kinds of impacts on whose gender perceptions. The main difficulty with these types of studies is that they require large amounts of survey data on people's perception. Using data from a recently conducted value survey, the present paper looks at the gender perception of people in four Southeast Asian countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines. The main objective is to determine which socio-demographic factors have significant impacts on people's attitudes toward gender issues in this historically and culturally diverse region. As is described in detail below, the analysis shows that Muslim identity tends to be associated with acceptance of male authority.
  • Publication
    Promoting Gender Parity Lessons From Yemen : A Jica Technical Cooperation Project in Basic Education
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2012) Yuki, Takako; Mizuno, Keiko; Ogawa, Keiichi; Sakaia, Mihoko
    Despite remarkable progress supported by international commitment to meeting the MDGs, countries such as Yemen still face great challenges in achieving gender parity in education and in reducing in-country disparities. Strengthening community participatory school management is a key area which JICA has prioritized in its programs for reaching marginalized children and for improving access to and quality of education. One instance of this is a technical cooperation project in Yemen called Broadening Regional Initiative for Developing Girls� Education (BRIDGE) Phase 1 (2005-2008), which piloted a participatory school management model supported by school grants with the objective of eliminating gender disparity in basic education. How successfully has this approach been in such a traditional society? Our analyses of the performance of the project's pilot schools based on analyses of data collected at three points in time - at the initial year and end year of the project and two years after the project's end - suggests the following: Interventions in school management that strongly emphasize girls can be effective in rather quickly improving gender parity regardless of the schools' initial conditions. However, we also observe that the post-project performance of the pilot schools in terms of gender parity is mixed, even though budgets for school grants were allocated by the local government to all pilot schools. We further observe that such variation in performance appears to be significantly correlated to school leaders' perceptions of gender equality, to community participation, and to the number of female teachers employed. These findings point to the importance of continuous long-term guidance to the schools and monitoring of those which implement school improvement programs. Attention should be paid to key factors that might influence school performance, such as those identified in this paper.

Users also downloaded

Showing related downloaded files

  • Publication
    Business Ready 2024
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-10-03) World Bank
    Business Ready (B-READY) is a new World Bank Group corporate flagship report that evaluates the business and investment climate worldwide. It replaces and improves upon the Doing Business project. B-READY provides a comprehensive data set and description of the factors that strengthen the private sector, not only by advancing the interests of individual firms but also by elevating the interests of workers, consumers, potential new enterprises, and the natural environment. This 2024 report introduces a new analytical framework that benchmarks economies based on three pillars: Regulatory Framework, Public Services, and Operational Efficiency. The analysis centers on 10 topics essential for private sector development that correspond to various stages of the life cycle of a firm. The report also offers insights into three cross-cutting themes that are relevant for modern economies: digital adoption, environmental sustainability, and gender. B-READY draws on a robust data collection process that includes specially tailored expert questionnaires and firm-level surveys. The 2024 report, which covers 50 economies, serves as the first in a series that will expand in geographical coverage and refine its methodology over time, supporting reform advocacy, policy guidance, and further analysis and research.
  • Publication
    Global Economic Prospects, January 2024
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-01-09) World Bank
    Note: Chart 1.2.B has been updated on January 18, 2024. Chart 2.2.3 B has been updated on January 14, 2024. Global growth is expected to slow further this year, reflecting the lagged and ongoing effects of tight monetary policy to rein in inflation, restrictive credit conditions, and anemic global trade and investment. Downside risks include an escalation of the recent conflict in the Middle East, financial stress, persistent inflation, weaker-than-expected activity in China, trade fragmentation, and climate-related disasters. Against this backdrop, policy makers face enormous challenges. In emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs), commodity exporters face the enduring challenges posed by fiscal policy procyclicality and volatility, which highlight the need for robust fiscal frameworks. Across EMDEs, previous episodes of investment growth acceleration underscore the critical importance of macroeconomic and structural policies and an enabling institutional environment in bolstering investment and long-term growth. At the global level, cooperation needs to be strengthened to provide debt relief, facilitate trade integration, tackle climate change, and alleviate food insecurity.
  • Publication
    Classroom Assessment to Support Foundational Literacy
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-03-21) Luna-Bazaldua, Diego; Levin, Victoria; Liberman, Julia; Gala, Priyal Mukesh
    This document focuses primarily on how classroom assessment activities can measure students’ literacy skills as they progress along a learning trajectory towards reading fluently and with comprehension by the end of primary school grades. The document addresses considerations regarding the design and implementation of early grade reading classroom assessment, provides examples of assessment activities from a variety of countries and contexts, and discusses the importance of incorporating classroom assessment practices into teacher training and professional development opportunities for teachers. The structure of the document is as follows. The first section presents definitions and addresses basic questions on classroom assessment. Section 2 covers the intersection between assessment and early grade reading by discussing how learning assessment can measure early grade reading skills following the reading learning trajectory. Section 3 compares some of the most common early grade literacy assessment tools with respect to the early grade reading skills and developmental phases. Section 4 of the document addresses teacher training considerations in developing, scoring, and using early grade reading assessment. Additional issues in assessing reading skills in the classroom and using assessment results to improve teaching and learning are reviewed in section 5. Throughout the document, country cases are presented to demonstrate how assessment activities can be implemented in the classroom in different contexts.
  • Publication
    Europe and Central Asia Economic Update, Fall 2024: Better Education for Stronger Growth
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-10-17) Izvorski, Ivailo; Kasyanenko, Sergiy; Lokshin, Michael M.; Torre, Iván
    Economic growth in Europe and Central Asia (ECA) is likely to moderate from 3.5 percent in 2023 to 3.3 percent this year. This is significantly weaker than the 4.1 percent average growth in 2000-19. Growth this year is driven by expansionary fiscal policies and strong private consumption. External demand is less favorable because of weak economic expansion in major trading partners, like the European Union. Growth is likely to slow further in 2025, mostly because of the easing of expansion in the Russian Federation and Turkiye. This Europe and Central Asia Economic Update calls for a major overhaul of education systems across the region, particularly higher education, to unleash the talent needed to reinvigorate growth and boost convergence with high-income countries. Universities in the region suffer from poor management, outdated curricula, and inadequate funding and infrastructure. A mismatch between graduates' skills and the skills employers are seeking leads to wasted potential and contributes to the region's brain drain. Reversing the decline in the quality of education will require prioritizing improvements in teacher training, updated curricula, and investment in educational infrastructure. In higher education, reforms are needed to consolidate university systems, integrate them with research centers, and provide reskilling opportunities for adult workers.
  • Publication
    Argentina Country Climate and Development Report
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2022-11) World Bank Group
    The Argentina Country Climate and Development Report (CCDR) explores opportunities and identifies trade-offs for aligning Argentina’s growth and poverty reduction policies with its commitments on, and its ability to withstand, climate change. It assesses how the country can: reduce its vulnerability to climate shocks through targeted public and private investments and adequation of social protection. The report also shows how Argentina can seize the benefits of a global decarbonization path to sustain a more robust economic growth through further development of Argentina’s potential for renewable energy, energy efficiency actions, the lithium value chain, as well as climate-smart agriculture (and land use) options. Given Argentina’s context, this CCDR focuses on win-win policies and investments, which have large co-benefits or can contribute to raising the country’s growth while helping to adapt the economy, also considering how human capital actions can accompany a just transition.