Gender and energy

The gender approach in the CER project proposes to:

Identify the inequalities between women and men regarding the use, access, control and distribution of the benefits of the resources associated with renewable energy projects;
Analyze the differentiated impacts between men and women affected by renewable energy policies and projects;
Propose actions and measures that promote greater equality between women and men in accessing the benefits derived from renewable energy projects, as well as in the prevention and reduction of their negative impacts.
Ensure that women effectively participate in all decisions related to renewable energy projects.

The gender approach in the CER project contributes to:

The knowledge and analysis of the differentiated participation of women and men in the entire energy supply chain - generation, transmission, distribution, supply/marketing and (uses) consumption - to:

Generate information disaggregated by sex and formulate variables for gender analysis in renewable energy projects.
Recognize the factors that hinder the participation of women in decisions concerning territory, especially regarding agricultural rights.
Document the gaps in participation by gender in consultations for initiatives and interventions in the energy sector.
Identify the differentiated project impacts by gender in aspects such as health, safety and loss of livelihood.
Identify opportunities for new jobs and income generation for women and men.

The levels of gender analysis of the CER project

Macro level. Includes international agreements, constitutional reforms, national and general laws, policies for the promotion of gender equality in the energy sector. Sectorial, inter-institutional and inter-sectorial structures on gender and energy, as well as the participation of women and men in these institutions.
Meso level. Considers the programs, guidelines, and projects that promote gender equality as well as the institutional processes and budgets labeled to promote gender equality in the energy sector. The participation of women and men in decision-making and in organizations, companies and projects related to energy. Consultations, instances of participation and decision-making regarding land, territory and relevance of projects.
Micro level. Refers to the relationship of people, households and communities with renewable energy projects. Actions to promote equal access to decision-making around energy projects. The positive and negative impacts of energy projects at the local level, and the social responses to them by gender.

SIA and Consultation with a gender perspective

SIA and consultations with the population must be effective tools to prevent and mitigate the social impacts of renewable energy projects while promoting the participation of the women and men of these communities.

SIA and the social management plans derived from them should apply in a transversal way, a gender perspective as established by various articles of this instrument (Articles 5, 6, 24, 25, 30, 38).

Consultations must be free, prior and informed, for which it is necessary to take measures to ensure that women and indigenous populations receive information according to their conditions and culture, are free to express themselves and be included in the decisions, following the guidelines of Convention 169 of the International Labour Organization.

Community participation with a gender perspective

It is considered that for renewable energy projects to be viable, prevent and reduce social conflict and promote local development, they must contemplate mechanisms of community participation with a gender approach. This both requires and allows us to recognize the different and unequal conditions of women and men in key aspects of these processes, accomplished by:

Understanding the limitations faced by women to participate and subsequently reducing the barriers that restrict their participation in project activities, from decision making in their communities to the implementation and closure of the project.
Generate participatory spaces that allow for the identification of the needs and interests of women in all areas - home, work, community/organizational, to integrate these needs and interests into all the project’s phases.
Identify women's organizations, to encourage their participation in renewable energy projects.

Gender and energy

SIA and Consultation with a gender perspective

Gender and energy links