IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jeners/v14y2021i22p7571-d677876.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Review on the Importance of Gender Perspective in Household Energy-Saving Behavior and Energy Transition for Sustainability

Author

Listed:
  • Bindu Shrestha

    (Cosmos College of Management and Technology, Pokhara University, Lalitpur 44800, Nepal)

  • Sudarshan R. Tiwari

    (Institute of Engineering, Tribhuvan University, Lalitpur 44800, Nepal)

  • Sushil B. Bajracharya

    (Institute of Engineering, Tribhuvan University, Lalitpur 44800, Nepal)

  • Martina M. Keitsch

    (Department of Design, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491 Trondheim, Norway)

  • Hom B. Rijal

    (Graduate School of Environmental and Information Studies, Tokyo City University, Yokohama 224-8551, Japan)

Abstract

Energy-saving and efficiency represent a crucial role in achieving a clean environment as well as economic and social development, providing substantial benefits to stakeholders, including householders. Better cost savings can be achieved by simply changing behavior. However, real energy users lack proper technical energy knowledge, awareness, and education in most cases. In most countries, women are involved in a higher percentage of energy activities in household chores but have less gender participation in energy decisions. In this regard, a gender perspective effectively understands energy users’ pragmatic and strategic needs for energy-saving behavior improvement. Previous literature reviews have been focusing on specific aspects of energy sustainability; however, no review has focused on energy-saving from a gender perspective to the best of our knowledge. It aims to provide a systematic review of literature on energy-saving and management, highlighting the importance of gender roles and fulfilling the literature’s study gaps that provide future possible research streams. The review finds that females use lower energy than males in household activities that has supported in household energy-saving behavior. In addition, gender, income, family composition, ownership, and education are significant influencing factors in energy-saving behavior, and gender differences are rooted in socialization, responsibility, and choice of energy appliances that have impacted energy decisions influencing energy-saving behavior and sustainability goals.

Suggested Citation

  • Bindu Shrestha & Sudarshan R. Tiwari & Sushil B. Bajracharya & Martina M. Keitsch & Hom B. Rijal, 2021. "Review on the Importance of Gender Perspective in Household Energy-Saving Behavior and Energy Transition for Sustainability," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-18, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:14:y:2021:i:22:p:7571-:d:677876
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/22/7571/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/22/7571/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Van Aelst, Katrien, 2014. "Household decision-making and gender relations in Tanzania: literature and theory review," IOB Working Papers 2014.02, Universiteit Antwerpen, Institute of Development Policy (IOB).
    2. Alem, Yonas & Hassen, Sied & Köhlin, Gunnar, 2018. "Decision-making within the Household: The Role of Autonomy and Differences in Preferences," Working Papers in Economics 724, University of Gothenburg, Department of Economics.
    3. Barr, Stewart & Gilg, Andrew W & Ford, Nicholas, 2005. "The household energy gap: examining the divide between habitual- and purchase-related conservation behaviours," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 33(11), pages 1425-1444, July.
    4. Lutzenhiser, Loren, 1992. "A cultural model of household energy consumption," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 17(1), pages 47-60.
    5. Yohanis, Yigzaw Goshu, 2012. "Domestic energy use and householders' energy behaviour," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 654-665.
    6. Muller, Christophe & Yan, Huijie, 2018. "Household fuel use in developing countries: Review of theory and evidence," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 429-439.
    7. Stephenson, Janet & Barton, Barry & Carrington, Gerry & Gnoth, Daniel & Lawson, Rob & Thorsnes, Paul, 2010. "Energy cultures: A framework for understanding energy behaviours," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(10), pages 6120-6129, October.
    8. Doss, Cheryl, 2013. "Intrahousehold bargaining and resource allocation in developing countries," Policy Research Working Paper Series 6337, The World Bank.
    9. Yue, Ting & Long, Ruyin & Chen, Hong, 2013. "Factors influencing energy-saving behavior of urban households in Jiangsu Province," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 665-675.
    10. Dillman, Don A. & Rosa, Eugene A. & Dillman, Joye J., 1983. "Lifestyle and home energy conservation in the United States: the poor accept lifestyle cutbacks while the wealthy invest in conservation," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 3(3-4), pages 299-315, September.
    11. Vainio, Annukka & Paloniemi, Riikka, 2014. "The complex role of attitudes toward science in pro-environmental consumption in the Nordic countries," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 18-27.
    12. Cheryl Doss, 2013. "Intrahousehold Bargaining and Resource Allocation in Developing Countries-super-1," The World Bank Research Observer, World Bank, vol. 28(1), pages 52-78, February.
    13. Unknown, 2016. "Energy for Sustainable Development," Conference Proceedings 253270, Guru Arjan Dev Institute of Development Studies (IDSAsr).
    14. Trotta, Gianluca, 2018. "Factors affecting energy-saving behaviours and energy efficiency investments in British households," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 529-539.
    15. Mills, Bradford & Schleich, Joachim, 2012. "Residential energy-efficient technology adoption, energy conservation, knowledge, and attitudes: An analysis of European countries," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 616-628.
    16. Keirstead, James, 2006. "Evaluating the applicability of integrated domestic energy consumption frameworks in the UK," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(17), pages 3065-3077, November.
    17. Wall, Rob & Crosbie, Tracey, 2009. "Potential for reducing electricity demand for lighting in households: An exploratory socio-technical study," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(3), pages 1021-1031, March.
    18. Poortinga, Wouter & Steg, Linda & Vlek, Charles & Wiersma, Gerwin, 2003. "Household preferences for energy-saving measures: A conjoint analysis," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 24(1), pages 49-64, February.
    19. Sütterlin, Bernadette & Brunner, Thomas A. & Siegrist, Michael, 2011. "Who puts the most energy into energy conservation? A segmentation of energy consumers based on energy-related behavioral characteristics," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(12), pages 8137-8152.
    20. Hori, Shiro & Kondo, Kayoko & Nogata, Daisuke & Ben, Han, 2013. "The determinants of household energy-saving behavior: Survey and comparison in five major Asian cities," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 354-362.
    21. Dholakia, Ruby Roy & Dholakia, Nikhilesh & Firat, A. Fuat, 1983. "From social psychology to political economy: A model of energy use behavior," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 3(3-4), pages 231-247, September.
    22. Painter, John & Semenik, Richard & Belk, Russell, 1983. "Is there a generalized energy conservation ethic? A comparison of the determinants of gasoline and home heating energy conservation," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 3(3-4), pages 317-331, September.
    23. Burke, Paul J. & Dundas, Guy, 2015. "Female Labor Force Participation and Household Dependence on Biomass Energy: Evidence from National Longitudinal Data," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 424-437.
    24. van Raaij, W. Fred & Verhallen, Theo M. M., 1983. "Patterns of residential energy behavior," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 4(1-2), pages 85-106, October.
    25. Owens, J. & Wilhite, H., 1988. "Household energy behavior in Nordic countries—an unrealized energy saving potential," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 13(12), pages 853-859.
    26. Kerkhof, Annemarie C. & Benders, Ren M.J. & Moll, Henri C., 2009. "Determinants of variation in household CO2 emissions between and within countries," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(4), pages 1509-1517, April.
    27. Parikh, Jyoti, 2011. "Hardships and health impacts on women due to traditional cooking fuels: A case study of Himachal Pradesh, India," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(12), pages 7587-7594.
    28. Biying, Yu & Zhang, Junyi & Fujiwara, Akimasa, 2012. "Analysis of the residential location choice and household energy consumption behavior by incorporating multiple self-selection effects," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 319-334.
    29. Rahut, Dil Bahadur & Das, Sukanya & De Groote, Hugo & Behera, Bhagirath, 2014. "Determinants of household energy use in Bhutan," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 661-672.
    30. Masera, Omar R. & Saatkamp, Barbara D. & Kammen, Daniel M., 2000. "From Linear Fuel Switching to Multiple Cooking Strategies: A Critique and Alternative to the Energy Ladder Model," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 28(12), pages 2083-2103, December.
    31. Asibey, Michael Osei & Ocloo, Kafui Afi & Amponsah, Owusu, 2021. "Gender differences and productive use of energy fuel in Ghana’s rural non-farm economy," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 215(PB).
    32. Van Raaij, W. Fred & Verhallen, Theo M. M., 1983. "A behavioral model of residential energy use," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 3(1), pages 39-63.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Wang, Yuanping & Hou, Lingchun & Hu, Lang & Cai, Weiguang & Wang, Lin & Dai, Cuilian & Chen, Juntao, 2023. "How family structure type affects household energy consumption: A heterogeneous study based on Chinese household evidence," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 284(C).
    2. Aysad Gudekli & Murat Ertan Dogan & Tulay Goru Dogan & Duygu Gudekli, 2023. "Gender, Sustainability, and Urbanism: A Systematic Review of Literature and Cross-Cluster Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(20), pages 1-18, October.
    3. Teija Keränen & Heidi Enwald, 2023. "Everyday Energy Information Literacy and Attitudes towards Energy-Related Decisions: Gender Differences among Finns," Resources, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-16, June.
    4. Liobikienė, Genovaitė & Matiiuk, Yuliia & Krikštolaitis, Ričardas, 2023. "The concern about main crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and climate change's impact on energy-saving behavior," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).
    5. Deepu Krishnan & Scott Kelly & Yohan Kim, 2022. "A Meta-Analysis Review of Occupant Behaviour Models for Assessing Demand-Side Energy Consumption," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-23, February.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ebru Ergöz Karahan & Özgür Göçer & Kenan Göçer & Didem Boyacıoğlu, 2021. "An Investigation of Occupant Energy-Saving Behavior in Vernacular Houses of Behramkale (Assos)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-23, December.
    2. Mills, Bradford & Schleich, Joachim, 2012. "Residential energy-efficient technology adoption, energy conservation, knowledge, and attitudes: An analysis of European countries," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 616-628.
    3. Mohamed, Ahmed M.A. & Al-Habaibeh, Amin & Abdo, Hafez & Elabar, Sherifa, 2015. "Towards exporting renewable energy from MENA region to Europe: An investigation into domestic energy use and householders’ energy behaviour in Libya," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 247-262.
    4. Choumert-Nkolo, Johanna & Combes Motel, Pascale & Le Roux, Leonard, 2019. "Stacking up the ladder: A panel data analysis of Tanzanian household energy choices," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 222-235.
    5. Hassan Harajli & Ali Chalak, 2019. "Willingness to Pay for Energy Efficient Appliances: The Case of Lebanese Consumers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(20), pages 1-20, October.
    6. Gulshan Maqbool & Zulqarnain Haider, 2021. "The Impact of Individual Behavior on Household Energy Saving," Journal of Economic Impact, Science Impact Publishers, vol. 3(1), pages 39-46.
    7. Sylwia Słupik & Joanna Kos-Łabędowicz & Joanna Trzęsiok, 2021. "Energy-Related Behaviour of Consumers from the Silesia Province (Poland)—Towards a Low-Carbon Economy," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-23, April.
    8. Sardianou, Eleni, 2007. "Estimating energy conservation patterns of Greek households," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(7), pages 3778-3791, July.
    9. Yue, Ting & Long, Ruyin & Chen, Hong, 2013. "Factors influencing energy-saving behavior of urban households in Jiangsu Province," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 665-675.
    10. Elisha R. Frederiks & Karen Stenner & Elizabeth V. Hobman, 2015. "The Socio-Demographic and Psychological Predictors of Residential Energy Consumption: A Comprehensive Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 8(1), pages 1-37, January.
    11. Tracey Crosbie, 2006. "Household Energy Studies: The Gap between Theory and Method," Energy & Environment, , vol. 17(5), pages 735-753, September.
    12. Fiorillo, Damiano & Sapio, Alessandro, 2019. "Energy saving in Italy in the late 1990s: Which role for non-monetary motivations?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 165(C), pages 1-1.
    13. Boudet, Hilary S. & Flora, June A. & Armel, K. Carrie, 2016. "Clustering household energy-saving behaviours by behavioural attribute," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 444-454.
    14. Nieves García-de-Frutos & José Manuel Ortega-Egea & Javier Martínez-del-Río, 2018. "Anti-consumption for Environmental Sustainability: Conceptualization, Review, and Multilevel Research Directions," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 148(2), pages 411-435, March.
    15. Bindu Shrestha & Sushil B. Bajracharya & Martina M. Keitsch & Sudarshan R. Tiwari, 2020. "Gender differences in household energy decision‐making and impacts in energy saving to achieve sustainability: A case of Kathmandu," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(5), pages 1049-1062, September.
    16. Stamatios Ntanos & Grigorios L. Kyriakopoulos & Garyfallos Arabatzis & Vasilios Palios & Miltiadis Chalikias, 2018. "Environmental Behavior of Secondary Education Students: A Case Study at Central Greece," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-22, May.
    17. James A. Gana & Thomas Hoppe, 2017. "Assessment of the Governance System Regarding Adoption of Energy Efficient Appliances by Households in Nigeria," Energies, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-21, January.
    18. Stephenson, Janet & Barton, Barry & Carrington, Gerry & Gnoth, Daniel & Lawson, Rob & Thorsnes, Paul, 2010. "Energy cultures: A framework for understanding energy behaviours," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(10), pages 6120-6129, October.
    19. Henningsen, Geraldine & Wiese, Catharina, 2019. "Do Household Characteristics Really Matter? A Meta-Analysis on the Determinants of Households’ Energy-Efficiency Investments," MPRA Paper 101701, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    20. Yohanis, Yigzaw Goshu, 2012. "Domestic energy use and householders' energy behaviour," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 654-665.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:14:y:2021:i:22:p:7571-:d:677876. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.