Inter-American Development Bank
facebook
twitter
youtube
linkedin
instagram
Abierto al públicoBeyond BordersCaribbean Development TrendsCiudades SosteniblesEnergía para el FuturoEnfoque EducaciónFactor TrabajoGente SaludableGestión fiscalGobernarteIdeas MatterIdeas que CuentanIdeaçãoImpactoIndustrias CreativasLa Maleta AbiertaMoviliblogMás Allá de las FronterasNegocios SosteniblesPrimeros PasosPuntos sobre la iSeguridad CiudadanaSostenibilidadVolvamos a la fuente¿Y si hablamos de igualdad?Home
Citizen Security and Justice Creative Industries Development Effectiveness Early Childhood Development Education Energy Envirnment. Climate Change and Safeguards Fiscal policy and management Gender and Diversity Health Labor and pensions Open Knowledge Public management Science, Technology and Innovation  Trade and Regional Integration Urban Development and Housing Water and Sanitation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Sostenibilidad

Just another web-blogs Sites site

  • HOME
  • CATEGORIES
    • Agriculture and Food Security
    • Climate change
    • Ecosystems and Biodiversity
    • Environmental and Social Safeguards
    • Infrastructure and Sustainable Landscapes
    • Institutionality
    • Responsible Production and Consumption
  • Authors
  • English
    • Español

5 ways lack of access to energy affects women

February 1, 2015 por adriver Leave a Comment


worldcancer_blogpost

By providing energy access, governments generate the conditions that ensure the basic health and welfare of their citizens, especially women, who are more adversely affected by energy poverty.

The Sustainable Energy for All initiative, which aims to ensure universal access to modern energy services by 2030, has made the connection between energy and women’s health a focus for 2015. Below are 5 ways in which a lack of energy access specifically affects the health and welfare of women and girls:

[dropcap type=”circle” color=”#ffffff” background=”#73cbf2″]1[/dropcap] Safety:

Women and girls spend 20 hours a week collecting firewood and water  according to Kandeh Yumkella. They often make these trips alone, and have to travel to isolated areas to gather sufficient fuel, putting them at risk for harassment, rape, or kidnapping. A less discussed problem related to energy and safety is that women who are unable to find sufficient fuel are more likely to suffer from domestic violence.

[dropcap type=”circle” color=”#ffffff” background=”#58bba9″]2[/dropcap] Pollution:

Smoke from traditional wood fires is the silent killer of some four million people per year, and women and girls are the primary ones affected due to their household roles in the kitchen. Given that more than half of the world’s population cooks their meals using rudimentary or open fires, small improvements in government policies in this area have the potential to improve millions of lives. The installation of one ecological kitchen reduces CO2 emissions by 1.5-2.5 tons, yearly.

[dropcap type=”circle” color=”#ffffff” background=”#7768ac”]3[/dropcap] Childbirth:

During childbirth, women in rural areas often give birth in healthcare facilities that lack electricity, putting their lives and those of their babies at greater risk.

Solar power, provided by the IDB funded 2012 Emergency Program for Solar Power Generation for Haiti, allowed nurses to deliver babies more safely at night at Hôpital de Port‐a‐Piment in northwest Haiti. Dr. Jean‐Richard Vital, Director of the hospital, remarked: “Already, a dream turns into reality.” The hospital received solar power generators and solar powered refrigerators for conserving vaccines. These were part of a disaster management and reconstruction plan after the earthquake. “The hospital is lit like a beacon – and this time without the need to run the generator or buy fuel, as all of the energy used comes from our Caribbean sun.”

[dropcap type=”circle” color=”#ffffff” background=”#f293bf”]4[/dropcap] Breast cancer, cervical cancer & infectious diseases:

The diagnosis and treatment of these and other illnesses that affect women require electricity access for laboratories and diagnostics facilities. Not all illnesses affect women and men equally. For example, recent research has shown that Ebola disproportionately affects women because they are the primary care givers to the sick.

[dropcap type=”circle” color=”#ffffff” background=”#fcc89a”]5[/dropcap] Economic opportunities:

Many women in rural areas spend their time at home caring for children. Basic energy access allows them to start small businesses and gain some level of economic independence.

Universal access to energy is intimately connected to issues of women’s health.  By opening up the discussion about the relationship between energy and health and focusing on projects like the one implemented in Haiti, SE4ALL Americas shows the far-reaching impact of energy poverty on girls and women in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Last October, at the launch of the Decade of Sustainable Energy for All in the Americas , Chilean President Bachelet stated: “Democratization of energy should be the sign of our times.” Do you agree? We would love to hear your story on how access to energy, or lack thereof, has made an impact on your life or on the environment.

Share your comments below or in Twitter – tag @BIDcambioclima and @BIDenergia !


Filed Under: Climate change

adriver

Communication Consultant Energy Division.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Follow Us

Subscribe

SEARCH

Sustainability

This blog is a space to reflect about the challenges, opportunities and the progress made by Latin American and Caribbean countries on the path towards the region’s sustainable development.

SIMILAR POSTS

  • Latin American and the Caribbean will be the first region to achieve universal electricity access
  • Water, women and interculturality: a global perspective based on the case of Bolivia
  • Democratizing energy in Latin America and the Caribbean one step at a time
  • Menstrual Hygiene and its Importance in Development
  • #metoo, and ten ways to make it safe for women to speak in public consultations

Footer

Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo
facebook
twitter
youtube
youtube
youtube

    Blog posts written by Bank employees:

    Copyright © Inter-American Development Bank ("IDB"). This work is licensed under a Creative Commons IGO 3.0 Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives. (CC-IGO 3.0 BY-NC-ND) license and may be reproduced with attribution to the IDB and for any non-commercial purpose. No derivative work is allowed. Any dispute related to the use of the works of the IDB that cannot be settled amicably shall be submitted to arbitration pursuant to the UNCITRAL rules. The use of the IDB's name for any purpose other than for attribution, and the use of IDB's logo shall be subject to a separate written license agreement between the IDB and the user and is not authorized as part of this CC- IGO license. Note that link provided above includes additional terms and conditions of the license.


    For blogs written by external parties:

    For questions concerning copyright for authors that are not IADB employees please complete the contact form for this blog.

    The opinions expressed in this blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the IDB, its Board of Directors, or the countries they represent.

    Attribution: in addition to giving attribution to the respective author and copyright owner, as appropriate, we would appreciate if you could include a link that remits back the IDB Blogs website.



    Privacy Policy

    Derechos de autor © 2025 · Magazine Pro en Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

    Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo

    Aviso Legal

    Las opiniones expresadas en estos blogs son las de los autores y no necesariamente reflejan las opiniones del Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo, sus directivas, la Asamblea de Gobernadores o sus países miembros.

    facebook
    twitter
    youtube
    This site uses cookies to optimize functionality and give you the best possible experience. If you continue to navigate this website beyond this page, cookies will be placed on your browser.
    To learn more about cookies, click here
    x
    Manage consent

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    Non-necessary
    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
    SAVE & ACCEPT