As the world moves toward more sustainable energy systems, communities and organizations engaged in just energy transitions are confronting how this progress perpetuates or tackles gender inequity.

Advancing just transitions through the lens of gender is vital for addressing systemic inequalities and fostering fairer outcomes in the economic, technological, environmental, and social changes that accompany the energy transition. These shifts inherently generate unevenly distributed benefits and costs – for workers, communities, industry and society more broadly.

But what does it mean to discuss gender in the context of a just transition?

Gender equality can both integrate into each aspect of the energy transition and be a goal of the energy transition as a whole. Each perspective invites reflection on power dynamics, cultural constructions of gender, and their interrelation with other identities like ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and disability.

Key questions for gender and just transitions

A gender-sensitive approach to just energy transitions raises several critical questions:

• Impacts of energy transitions on gender equality: How will the changes in energy systems affect gender justice? Will they challenge or reinforce existing gender norms or the gendered distribution of resources and decision-making power? For instance, the redistribution of jobs or energy access in a low-carbon economy might either close or widen gender gaps within the energy and other sectors depending on how policies are implemented.
• Addressing structural injustices: How can the transition process tackle systemic issues like patriarchy, transphobia and homophobia? A just transition must dismantle systems of oppression, creating inclusive and equitable opportunities for everyone. To achieve this, it is essential for just transition processes to remain self-reflective, examining how they might inadvertently replicate patriarchal systems or operate in patriarchal ways.
• Sectoral collaboration: How can different sectors work together to resolve injustices beyond the energy sector? For example, integrating efforts to combat domestic violence, economic marginalization or educational disparities within energy transition strategies is an essential step toward social transformation, but also requires reciprocal incorporation of gender and energy transition into other sectoral policies (such as social policies, education, innovation and industrial policies and land use planning).

Challenges integrating gender into just transitions

Despite the growing recognition among civil society and international organizations of the need for gender inclusivity in energy and related sectors, advancing it faces two key challenges:

1. Resistance to gender equality: Backlashes against gender equality emerge in various forms, often rooted in cultural norms and political structures resistant to change. For example, efforts to advance women’s rights in policy or employment have often faced criticism or outright opposition. Inclusion of LGBTQI+ people into just transitions strategies might face backlash, as well, as part of broader trends to dismantle efforts toward diversity, equity and inclusion.
2. Intersectionality and complexity: Gender issues cannot be addressed in isolation. They intersect with other dimensions of identity, such as ethnicity, disability, and migration status, requiring multi-dimensional strategies. Understanding these intersections is essential for avoiding one-size-fits-all approaches that fail to address unique vulnerabilities.

Embracing gender-equitable transitions

A gender-equitable just energy transition is about more than adding women or marginalized groups to decision-making processes. It demands a rethinking of systemic structures and cultural norms that perpetuate inequality, and requires these actions:

1. Deconstructing oppression: The transition must dismantle systems that oppress individuals based on gender, sexuality or identity. For example, policies addressing energy labour markets should challenge traditional roles and unequal balance of paid and unpaid work that confine women and LGBTQI+ people to low-skilled, peripheral positions.
2. Intersectional analysis: Policymakers must recognize that gender operates in conjunction with other social categories. A rural, Indigenous, transgender woman might face different barriers in accessing clean energy or job training opportunities compared to a middle-class urban cisgender woman. Addressing these disparities requires tailored interventions.
3. Collaboration across sectors: Integrating gender perspectives into energy transitions is not a standalone task. It requires collaboration across sectors – education, healthcare, water and justice – to ensure that the transition contributes to broader social equity goals. For instance, energy access programs could simultaneously address issues of safety (such as reducing reliance on unsafe cooking fuels) and economic empowerment (like promoting disadvantaged women and LGBTQI+ entrepreneurs in renewable energy).
4. Advocacy: Public campaigns and education initiatives can play a crucial role in challenging patriarchal norms and promoting the idea that sustainable energy transitions must also be just and equitable.
5. Inclusive policy design: Governments and organizations must adopt policies that proactively involve women, LGBTQI+ people and marginalized groups at all stages of the energy transition, from planning to implementation and evaluation. This includes addressing the transition’s different impacts on each group, and ensuring equal access to resources, training, and leadership opportunities in alternative economic sectors. This is not to the exclusion of men, however; men have a key role to play in supporting gender equality in energy transitions and are also affected by patriarchal norms and pressures.

We recommend the following gender-sensitive approaches that can drive more equitable energy transitions:

• Community-led renewable energy projects: Women-led cooperatives in renewable energy have demonstrated the potential of grassroots leadership to transform local economies and empower marginalized groups.
• Skill development programs: Initiatives targeting women and LGBTQI+ individuals for training in technical skills for green jobs, such as solar panel installation, can bridge gender gaps in traditionally male-dominated industries. Similarly, initiatives targeting women and other groups affected directly and indirectly by the closure of fossil-based industries, are also important to more equitable outcomes. Further, training workers in male-dominated sectors, such as mining and energy, can and should raise awareness among men of gender equality concerns and opportunities for improvement.
• Intersectional policy frameworks: Governments can develop frameworks that address the compounded vulnerabilities of groups, such as migrant women or disabled individuals, ensuring they benefit equally from clean energy access.
• Monitoring and accountability mechanisms: Establishing metrics to track gender equality progress in energy projects helps ensure that goals are met, and inequities are addressed proactively.

Incorporating a gender perspective into just energy transitions is not just a moral imperative; it is a practical necessity for achieving equitable and sustainable outcomes. By addressing systemic oppression, fostering intersectional collaboration, and designing inclusive policies, energy transitions can become a powerful tool for advancing gender equity and broader social justice.