Women in Ghana and South Africa are concentrated in lower-paid, non-technical green-economy roles while men hold most engineering, technical and leadership positions, a new study of 14 major green-energy policies finds.
The research, by development economists writing in The Conversation, reviewed six policies in Ghana and eight in South Africa, ranging from South Africa’s energy policy to Ghana’s 2023 Integrated Power Sector Master Plan.
The authors also interviewed nine government officials, policy advisers, researchers and civil society specialists working on industry, energy and gender in both countries.
They found that some policies address inequality between women and men, while others barely mention it. Both countries lack reliable data, funding and staff with the skills to turn promises into action, the study concluded.
In South Africa, departments often work separately and treat gender inequality as someone else’s problem, according to the research.
Ghana has a national gender policy and dedicated ministry teams, but these often lack the staff and expertise to do the work.
Cleaner energy does not automatically mean fairer outcomes
The study found that even improved electricity access can reproduce inequality. Men may use more electricity for productive commercial activities, while women continue to bear most responsibility for unpaid care and household work even after receiving an electric stove.
Giving a household electricity or a clean stove is therefore only part of the story; who controls money, assets and decisions also matters, the authors write.
Some policies in both countries recognise the time and effort women spend collecting fuel and cooking, their roles as workers and business owners, and the support they need.
Ghana’s Renewable Energy Master Plan, for example, calls for better data on women’s participation, equal job opportunities and finance for women-owned businesses.
Other policies barely mention women, and even those that do often fail to turn promises into action, according to the study.
The people interviewed explained why: women’s needs are often treated as an afterthought when governments plan energy projects, training, business funding and contracts.
A framework built around four questions
The authors developed what they call a Gender-Transformative Industrial Policy framework, based on the blended value approach developed by Gillian Marcelle to attract more investment, put money to better use and fund sustainable development.
It is built around four issues: bottlenecks, blind spots, external influences and blended policymaking.
Bottlenecks are the practical barriers that hold women back, such as limited access to finance, training, assets, contracts, transport and affordable childcare.
Blind spots are the hidden assumptions that make policies seem neutral while still excluding women, such as training programmes women cannot easily attend because of their location, timing or entry requirements.
External influences recognise that donors, investors, development banks and civil society can attach conditions to funding and programmes that put women first.
Blended policymaking means energy policy cannot work alone; progress depends on education, finance, labour, procurement, infrastructure and social policy working together.
The framework asks four questions: what is blocking women, what is being overlooked, who is shaping the rules, and are policies working together.
What the authors say should happen next
Governments can use the framework to check whether green energy policies will expand women’s economic opportunities.
Before approving a programme, the authors say, governments should ask what could keep women out, whether its rules favour men, how funders affect who benefits, and what else needs to change so women can take part.
Women workers, entrepreneurs, engineers, community organisations and business groups should help design green technology programmes and set priorities, according to the study.
Energy and industry ministries need clear responsibility and targets for women’s employment, business ownership and contracts, backed by budgets and better data.
The authors identify green technology opportunities for women in solar and wind jobs, and in businesses such as mini-grids, solar-home systems, clean-cooking services and battery-based solutions. These offer work in installation, maintenance, sales, finance and customer service.
Meaningful change, they write, means women becoming technicians, engineers, entrepreneurs, business owners and decision-makers, beyond mainly using green technologies.
Source: The Conversation
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