Load Shedding Experience, Gender and Morality in Zambia, 2015–2024

The overdependence of Zambia’s energy sector on hydroelectricity exposes the country to significant vulnerabilities in times of drought brought about by climate change. People often experience these vulnerabilities through electricity rationing, commonly termed ‘load shedding’ or ‘power outages’. This article explores load shedding from three perspectives: people’s everyday experiences; gender implications; and load shedding as a moral critique of the government. It argues that load shedding makes life harder for consumers, undermines workers’ ability to cope with precarious working conditions and exacerbates existing gender inequalities against women. It is on the basis of these experiences that local residents and workers frame load shedding in terms of a moral critique of governmental incompetence and inefficiency. The article draws on ethnographic fieldwork conducted on the Zambian Copperbelt between 2016 and 2024.