Gender and Climate Justice by COPGendered

The industrial energy production sector at the global level is historically male-dominated, with 76% fewer women engaged in it than men. In the EU, the gender disparity of wages across the energy sector is nearly 20%, and women only occupy up to 20% of senior roles in some energy sub-sectors. Data also shows that women are underrepresented at all levels 
political decision-making worldwide, including the European Parliament, which affects their ability to participate in policy-shaping. In the domestic sphere, gender imbalance in decision-making is also visible in daily life. For example, in Germany, typical  investors in domestic renewable energy are male, have a  higher income, a higher level of education, strong pro-environmental beliefs and usually live in rural areas. In contrast, women tend to invest less in renewable energy home renovations, not because they’re not interested in doing so, but because they fear the expense, as they tend to have limited disposable income and financial savings. This demonstrates the importance of including diverse gender perspectives in both the energy sector and in policymaking, to ensure that women’s substantive needs are accounted for.