Where energy poverty limits not only lights but lives: Discussions in rural Pakistan on the importance of clean energy to women

By Sidra Khalid and Mohsin Hafeez

On 15 October, the International Day of Rural Women recognizes the essential roles that women play in agriculture, water and food security, and development. These roles are all-pervasive in rural Pakistan – but so is energy poverty, which disproportionately affects women’s health, livelihoods, and domestic roles. Under the CGIAR Initiative on NEXUS Gains, the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) Pakistan conducted a qualitative study to dig deeper into experiences of energy poverty in rural southern Punjab. The study fills a crucial data gap on gendered energy deprivations in Pakistan, highlighting disparities in access and use and how these shape the lives of rural women and their families.

In agrarian Rahim Yar Khan district, the energy crisis is a daily struggle for Noreen (name changed). With natural gas supplies unavailable, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) unaffordable, and electricity cut for days on end, she cooks dinner over firewood she has collected. She fans the flames and smoke fills the air, burning her eyes and aggravating her cough. Her four children eagerly wait for the meal, unable to play or complete their homework in the darkness.

Energy poverty has increased in Pakistan over the last two decades. Rising costs and intermittent supply challenge nearly all rural households, and particularly women in households, who manage most domestic work. Access to energy has far-reaching implications for women’s health, opportunities, and overall wellbeing. Yet Pakistan’s energy policies are completely gender unaware, overlooking the transformative potential of energy access in women’s empowerment.

Rural voices on energy poverty

IWMI Pakistan conducted 12 focus group discussions (FGDs) with men and women in Rahim Yar Khan to explore energy access, usage, decision-making, and its impacts on livelihoods, health, and well-being. The study revealed numerous impacts from the disparate energy access of rural women.

Health impacts of biomass fuels

Many families rely on firewood and dung for cooking and heating. Women, who are primarily responsible for collecting firewood, preparing dung cakes, and tending cooking fires, are exposed to respiratory, skin, and eye conditions. Children are also disproportionately affected. Men, freed by societal norms from these responsibilities, reported fewer health issues.

“The smoke burns my eyes and has caused respiratory issues, but what other choice do we have? We cannot afford anything else.”

Exclusion from energy decision-making

Women have minimal involvement in decisions such as choosing fuel types, seeking energy loans, or installing a solar technology. These are typically decided by men, perpetuating inequalities and leaving women to bear health and domestic burdens without the authority to seek better solutions.

Coping with rising energy costs

Electricity bills have skyrocketed: many families now pay 3–4 times what they did in previous years. While FGD participants were aware of solar energy’s benefits, its installation and maintenance costs are also high and prevent widespread adoption (including high bank loan interest rates of 30-40%). Some participants have had to sell livestock or give up electricity access when they could not pay high electricity bills. This pushes families into increasingly difficult situations. One woman tearfully shared an account of a man who died by suicide when facing financial pressures and the impossibility of providing for his wife and children.

“Solar is more reliable than the government-supplied electricity or diesel, but the government should provide subsidies; otherwise, we can’t afford to use it.”

“Should we buy food to feed our children or buy solar plates?”

Impacts on daily life and education

Energy disruptions lead to shortages of water for drinking and cooking. Some participants linked lack of energy with their families going to bed hungry. Others told of families gathering in one room to conserve electricity. Students struggle to study during outages, or must turn to neighbors with solar power to complete their homework. On blistering summer days, outages stop the fans in the school, and students sit outside the building for some respite. A few mothers said that children go to school hungry when the natural gas supply comes after they have already left for school.

Women’s coping strategies

Women adapt their schedules to shift cooking, washing, and ironing to times when power is available, sometimes having to wake up early or stay up late. While effective, these strategies increase their time poverty and limit opportunities for any other activities. Desperate for reliable electricity, women have even sold personal assets such as jewelry to buy solar panels. Women may have fewer assets than men in their households, but women’s assets are more liquid, so ironically they are often the ones who end up sacrificing these for energy access.

A call for gender-transformative energy solutions

Rural women, at the heart of household energy use, feel energy poverty acutely. However, this won’t be fixed by simply improving rates of access to electricity and clean cooking solutions. Women’s energy access is intertwined with gender norms that limit their roles and authority. Targeted interventions must address these norms, enhance women’s financial inclusion, and bring them into energy planning.

Policymakers must prioritize gender-specific needs in energy access initiatives, developing programs that recognize women’s roles and provide targeted subsidies and low-interest loans for solutions like solar panels. Access to information about energy options and financing is crucial. Community dialogue that raises awareness about energy poverty and promotes women’s rights to participate in energy decisions can transform perceptions and encourage men to share responsibility in both decision-making and energy-related domestic labor.

Only by addressing the gendered dimensions of energy poverty can Pakistan create a more equitable energy landscape that meets the needs of rural women while powering social and economic development for all.

Sidra Khaled is National Researcher – Gender and Social Inclusion at the International Water Management Institute (IWMI); Mohsin Hafeez is Director of Water, Food and Ecosystems at IWMI.

This work was carried out under the CGIAR Initiative on NEXUS Gains, which is grateful for the support of CGIAR Trust Fund contributors: www.cgiar.org/funders

Header image: Woman cooking over firewood. Photo by IWMI Pakistan.