Is there gender inequality in the impacts of energy poverty on health?

Abstract

This paper aims to study the gender inequality in the health impacts of energy poverty. Using the Chinese Family Panel Studies (CFPS) 2018 data, we examine the gender heterogeneous effects of energy poverty on residents' health. The empirical results indicate that energy poverty would increase the ratio of respiratory disease, hospitalization as well as the healthcare expenditure. The effects are moderated by housework time. Moreover, we explore the gender inequality of the health impacts and find that women's health is more severely impaired and the effect of gender inequality is heterogeneous between urban and rural areas. We further investigate the historical origins of intra-household division of labor and reveal that the root of gender inequality in the health effects of energy poverty is status inequality. The government should give the first priority to energy poverty alleviation through modern energy network construction. Providing the energy-deprived families with ventilation equipment and medical insurance should be considered as the next step. Finally, it is imperative to eradicate urban-rural dual structure and legislate to ensure gender equality in the whole society.

Understanding Energy Poverty among the Elderly: Insights from a Household Survey in Greece

“…Analysis has shown that gender inequalities in income, employment, and education contribute to variations in energy poverty levels between men and women [23,24]. Research confirms gender disparities in energy poverty experiences [22], indicating that women, particularly in low-income households, may bear a larger burden in managing energy-related responsibilities, such as cooking and heating, which can be exacerbated by limited access to cleaner and more efficient energy sources [15]. Moreover, the analysis of household size and composition has shed light on the role of shared financial resources within larger families, contributing to enhanced energy affordability [24].…”

“…Within the realm of the energy poverty and sustainability-related concept, several researchers have studied the field of energy poverty and its socioeconomic determinants, providing a comprehensive framework to address energy poverty based on household survey data [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]. A plethora of researchers have investigated how sociodemographic variables such as age [14,20,21], gender [22,23], educational attainment [24,25], and social networks [26], economic parameters such as income [26][27][28], employment status [29,30], and energy price fluctuations [31], and residence characteristics [16,17] such as ownership and residence type contribute to disparities in energy poverty.…”

“…Specifically, factors related to age, such as retirement and potential declines in income, contribute to the complexities of meeting energy-related expenses [31,33]. Gender dynamics in energy poverty are also a critical dimension that intersects with socioeconomic factors, influencing disparities in access to, and affordability of, energy services; this has received increased attention [21,22]. Analysis has shown that gender inequalities in income, employment, and education contribute to variations in energy poverty levels between men and women [23,24].…”