Invisible among the vulnerable: a nuanced perspective of energy poverty at the intersection of gender and disability in South Africa

Abstract

This study addresses a crucial gap in the existing literature by exploring the intricate relationship between gender, disability, and energy poverty. While prior research has shown that females and persons with disabilities are more vulnerable to energy poverty, our study adopts an intersectionality framework to investigate how these identities interact with other variables, including life dissatisfaction, food insecurity, and energy subsidy, to shape the experience of energy deprivation. Using a series of robust techniques, our analysis of the General Household Survey in South Africa reveals several noteworthy findings. First, while females are less likely to be energy poor, the intersection between females and disability significantly amplifies their risk of energy poverty by 2.6%. Our mediation analysis further elucidates that life dissatisfaction and food insecurity serve as critical mechanisms through which this intersection exacerbates energy poverty. Importantly, we also find that the impact of energy subsidy is most effective when targeted toward females with disabilities, highlighting the need for tailored interventions. We call for policymakers and stakeholders to prioritize targeted energy subsidy schemes for persons with disabilities and females, recognizing the critical role such policies can play in mitigating energy poverty and promoting equity.

Exploring Energy Poverty among Off-Grid Households in the Upper Blinkwater Community, South Africa

“…The findings indicate that vulnerability to energy poverty was minimal among female-headed households. This finding aligns with [25], that households headed by women often experience lower levels of energy poverty compared to those headed by men because women have a tendency to prioritise household essential needs and are resilient in coping with challenges. However, this seemingly positive trend is countered by the stark reality that women were also overrepresented in the extreme energy poverty group, suggesting a higher vulnerability to severe energy poverty among women.…”

“…This can be expected as the rising energy prices disproportionately increase the financial burden, and the most affected are the poor and low-income households, prompting them to cut back on energy consumption [24]. It has been shown that, on an annual average, electricity prices in South Africa have more than doubled since 2008 compared to the sluggish average consumer price index (CPI) [25]. As a result, about 43% of South African households spend more than 10% of their income on electricity [6].…”