Energy and Gender
A critical issue in energy employment, access and transitions
Women are vital energy consumers, producers and decision-makers who make a crucial contribution to global energy security and energy transitions. Building a more secure, fair and equitable energy future hinges on their active participation.
Recognising this, the IEA’s Member countries have asked the Agency to focus on key issues at the nexus of energy and gender, from improving gender data collection to expanding analysis of the gender dimensions of energy policies. This work continues to expand and develop.
Tackling gender disparity in the energy sector is crucial to driving energy transitions forward, otherwise we are leaving a huge pool of talent untapped. To ensure that we reach more women and enhance the diversity of skills and perspectives within the sector, we must proactively consider gender in our policies and planning.
Key findings
Women make up about one-fifth of the energy workforce today
Share of women in senior leadership by sector, 2023
OpenIncreasing the number of women in vocational occupations is key
Share of women in selected energy-related occupations, 2023
OpenNearly one in three people lack access to clean cooking, disproportionately affecting women and children
Since 2000, around 1 billion people have gained access to clean cooking. Progress has been concentrated in Asia and Latin America, while in much of Africa, population growth has continued to outpace improvements in access. Today, more than 2 billion people still lack access to clean cooking supplies, split almost equally between sub-Saharan Africa and developing economies in Asia. However, due to domestic and international political attention in recent years, around 630 million people without access live in countries in which new and improved policy frameworks were implemented in the last two years or are under active development.
Population without access to clean cooking by scenario, 2023 and 2030
OpenPeople-centred transitions
In 2021, the IEA convened the first Global Commission on People-Centred Clean Energy Transitions, part of a new initiative on the topic. It issued a series of recommendations – including one to “incorporate gender, equality and social considerations” into all energy transition policies.
In its report, the Commission noted that “equality and inclusion should be built into clean energy policy design to prevent any risk of disproportionate or unintended consequences for certain segments of society, avoid exacerbating existing inequalities and support the principles of human rights while leaving no one behind and providing all people with an opportunity to contribute to clean energy transitions.”
Since then, the IEA has launched a Global Observatory on People-Centred Clean Energy Transitions, an online repository of best practice case studies from around the world. You can explore the policies on gender, equality and social inclusion here.
In spring 2024, the IEA also held the first-ever Global Summit on People-Centred Clean Energy Transitions at its headquarters and convened a new Global Commission on People-Centred Clean Energy Transitions: Designing for Fairness to develop actionable policy recommendations for energy and climate ministers and international decision makers on how to fully integrate the principle of fairness into the design of all clean energy policies.
IEA initiatives
The IEA Secretariat considers gender equality and work on related issues a top priority and key component of the Agency’s modernisation strategy. An internal IEA Gender Task Force coordinates cross-Agency initiatives to support these efforts and help deliver on the Ministerial mandate to accelerate gender mainstreaming.
Steps taken by the IEA as part of this effort include establishing the IEA Gender Advisory Council in 2021; creating the IEA Gender and Energy Data Explorer in 2022 to support evidence-based analysis; heightening engagement with other organisations and fora working on gender-related issues, such as the Clean Energy Ministerial, Equality in Energy Transitions, G20, and Equal by 30; and ramping up efforts to raise awareness of and promote gender mainstreaming within the Agency.
We highlight the important role of diversity and gender equality in unlocking the talent and capabilities needed to achieve our shared energy and climate objectives.
The Council provides guidance to the Secretariat, enables cooperation between countries in the IEA Family, and increases the IEA’s accountability.
The Council provides guidance to the Secretariat, enables cooperation between countries in the IEA Family, and increases the IEA’s accountability.
It comprises a number of senior officials from IEA Member countries, facilitating the exchange of best practices on gender equality and inclusion and gender mainstreaming across the energy sector.
This IEA Technology Collaboration Programme, organised jointly under the IEA and Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) since 2017, is focused on accelerating gender equality and diversity in clean energy transitions and closing the gender gap by 2030.
This IEA Technology Collaboration Programme, organised jointly under the IEA and Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) since 2017, is focused on accelerating gender equality and diversity in clean energy transitions and closing the gender gap by 2030.
The initiative, which was formerly known as C3E International, works to improve gender-disaggregated data in the energy sector, honour women in energy leadership roles, and elevate best practices and policies, with access to the 6,000 experts participating in the IEA’s energy technology network. Learn more here.
This group, led by the IEA's Deputy Executive Director, coordinates efforts related to energy and gender across the Agency.
This group, led by the IEA's Deputy Executive Director, coordinates efforts related to energy and gender across the Agency.
Its goals include supporting gender equality, inclusion and opportunity at the IEA, which is part of modernisation strategy adopted by the IEA Secretariat, and it is delivering on the mandate from IEA Ministers to accelerate gender mainstreaming, improve gender data collection, and support multilateral initiatives focused on the energy-gender nexus.