Gender, energy, and the Southeast Asia struggle

Eco-Business Podcast

There is a growing awareness that the benefits and burden of the energy transition must be equally shared between men and women. In Southeast Asia, with its long-held traditional gender roles and energy inequality, the process is easier said than done. Big energy developments are on the horizon in the region. Renewables and biofuels are starting to proliferate, while coal is increasingly being shown the exit. Many of these developments will help cut carbon emissions, but a growing body of research suggests that there is no guarantee the benefits and risks can be shared equitably without proper planning. Such rifts could be especially salient along gender lines. Few women work in the energy sector, while their livelihoods are at risk of being upended by big energy projects. The loss of coal sector jobs, held mostly by men, could have profound consequences on gender dynamics in families and societies too. Eco-Business discusses these issues with Amira Bilqis, an energy modelling and policy planning associate at intergovernmental group Asean Centre for Energy, and May Thazin Aung, a climate change researcher at United Kingdom-based think tank International Institute for Environment and Development. Tune in as we talk about: - The intersection between gender and energy in Southeast Asia - The unique challenges impeding progress - What good governance in energy and gender looks like - The social risks of coal phase-out - How stakeholders can chart a viable way forward