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Home-cooked energy transitions: Women empowerment and biogas-based cooking technology in Pakistan

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  • Yasmin, Nazia
  • Grundmann, Philipp

Abstract

Male-dominated societies often tend to neglect having a consideration for women in the choice of appropriate cooking fuel technology. Traditional cooking technologies have adverse effects particularly on women. These technologies require the use of solid biomass such as wood or biogenic residues, and this practice leads to harmful consequences for individual's health and involves drudgery and hardships especially for women. Even though women can gain immense benefits in switching to a cleaner fuel, their influence over the relevant household energy choice decision is still not well understood. In this study, we use individual-level household survey data from Pakistan to investigate the influence of women empowerment on the decision to adopt and continue using biogas-based cooking technology. To do this, our study analyses the resource and agency profile of women by applying a multivariate analysis using both direct and proxy indicators of women's status. The results show that older, educated, financially empowered women with greater agency and control over resource have a strong influence on the decision to adopt biogas technology. The paper concludes by recommending policies to enhance women's status that could help in fostering the process of transitioning toward clean cooking fuel technology.

Suggested Citation

  • Yasmin, Nazia & Grundmann, Philipp, 2020. "Home-cooked energy transitions: Women empowerment and biogas-based cooking technology in Pakistan," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:137:y:2020:i:c:s0301421519306615
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2019.111074
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