Business Case: Energy
Despite global gains in electricity access, affordability and reliability remain persistent challenges, particularly for those living in low-income communities of color in the Global South. The clean energy transition offers new opportunities to tackle these challenges while reducing gender gaps, expanding services and improving outcomes for customers.
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Power
The Gender in The Energy Sector Business Case highlights how each stage of the energy value chain—from generation to retail—holds different opportunities for gender inclusion.

KEY FINDINGS
Empowering Women as Change Agents, On and Off the Grid

01
Increasing women in the energy sector workforce can strengthen business performance.
Engaging and retaining more women helps ensure that energy systems address the needs of all consumers—for current models and future energy transitions.

02
Targeting women’s preferences and financing needs can expand the customer base in off-grid markets.
The falling cost of solar and battery technology has driven a rapidly expanding off-grid energy access market, and women distributors can help bring in new clients.

03
Gender-disaggregated data and gender analysis improve understanding of energy consumers.
Understanding the needs of men and women as consumers—and the barriers they face in connecting to, using, and paying for power—can improve policy and pricing and allow companies to tap underserved markets and opportunities.

04
Including women in power company community investment programs ensures they benefit everyone.
Gender-inclusive stakeholder engagement is essential to gaining the support and buy-in of local communities.

05
Women in fragile and conflict-affected situations (FCS) face unique challenges.
Energy providers can enter partnerships with organizations with expertise in humanitarian contexts and gender inclusion to make a difference in the lives of women and girls affected by emergencies and conflict.
Strategies to address gender gaps
The strategies below help companies to develop gender action plans that help recruit and retain women and ensure that their needs as service users are addressed.
Increase representation of women in energy sector management and workforce.
Create opportunities to hire women in the energy supply chain in off-grid markets.
Differentiate service and product offerings to meet gender-diverse consumer needs.
Incorporate gender inclusion into community investment and stakeholder management plans.
Increase representation of women in energy sector management and workforce.
Create opportunities to hire women in the energy supply chain in off-grid markets.
Differentiate service and product offerings to meet gender-diverse consumer needs.
Incorporate gender inclusion into community investment and stakeholder management plans.
Fast Facts
Women connect utilities and consumers.
183%
In India, Delhi’s Tata Power Co. hired 841 women to serve as bill collectors in informal settlements, resulting in a 183% increase in revenue over five years with minimal cost to the company.
Source: Rahnama, OIES
23%
Access to reliable electricity in Nicaragua increases the propensity of rural women to work outside the home by approximately 23%.
Source: World Development
15%
In Yemen, only 15% of women said they could participate in decision-making about energy for their home (compared to 57% of men reporting that women are able to participate).
Source: World Bank
8.5%
A report by Ernst & Young found that utilities with more women in leadership ranks performed better than their peers. Its analysis showed that “the top 20 utilities for gender diversity, with a combined average return on equity (ROE) of 8.5%, significantly outperform the lower 20, with a combined average ROE of 7%.”
Source: PowerMag
32%
Globally, female participation in the renewable energy workforce remains low at 32%, with only 28% of women in technical roles. In the conventional energy workforce, the IEA estimates the figure to be even lower, at just 22%.
Source: IRENA
79%
A collaboration between World Bank and national utility SONELEC In Comoros trained more than 100 women. Outstanding bills dropped by 79% in the first 100 days, and SONELEC intends to continue working with women as role models and change agents.
Source: World Bank