Mainstreaming gender in energy design practice: Insights from companies operating in sub-Saharan Africa's energy sector

Productive use of energy of women-owned micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises: Insights from food and textile businesses in selected African countries

“…The research approach was developed to be suitable, adaptable, and efficient in gathering evidence pertinent to the research questions while considering constraints like resources, time, and cost [ 12 ]. Drawing from existing literature it was evident that a typical methodology in this domain involves conducting a literature review and incorporating a quantitative questionnaire, qualitative (key informant) interviews, and focus group discussions [ 5 , 10 , [13] , [14] , [15] , [16] , [17] , [18] , [19] , [20] ]. Such a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative data collection offers a comprehensive understanding of the complex interplay between productive energy use, electricity access, and gender dynamics [ 5 ].…”

“…However, despite progress, gender considerations are often addressed inconsistently in energy projects, hindering the systematic integration and comprehensive monitoring of results [ 39 ]. Similarly, a paper assessing companies that specialise in providing an array of solutions for household energy needs and powering tools for small-scale enterprises revealed that these companies lack familiarity with available gender mainstreaming resources and do not follow a structured gender inclusion strategy [ 15 ].…”

“…While this study provides valuable insights, several limitations should be acknowledged: Firstly, the relatively limited sample size of 65 respondents across seven African countries is not statistically representative at national or sectoral levels, and hence targets to provide rather analytical than statistical results. It is worth noting that a couple of studies in this field contend with comparable sample size limitations [ 15 , 18 , 46 , 86 ]. Additionally, the uneven distribution of the sample across countries might restrict the applicability of the findings to contexts other than those specifically examined.…”