Renewable Energy: A Gender Perspective
As the world shifts from fossil fuels to renewable energy, discussions often focus on technology, costs, finance, and infrastructure. Increasingly, attention is finally turning to an under-recognised but most important dimension of the transition: people. Yet, too often, women’s voices and experiences are still left out. Women, serving as community anchors, household managers, and frontline bearers of energy poverty, are disproportionately affected by energy access challenges, but remain underrepresented in renewable energy design, deployment, and decision-making. Women hold only a small share of the overall workforce, with lower representation in technical, leadership, and decision-making roles in the renewable energy sector. This exclusion not only perpetuates inequality but also deprives the transition of much-needed talent, innovation, and perspectives.
Change, however, is possible - and necessary. According to the IRENA-ILO Renewable Energy and Jobs: Annual Review 2024, global renewable energy employment reached 16.2 million in 2023 and is set to grow substantially in the coming decade. Every segment of the value chain requires diverse skills, and greater participation of women alongside men is critical to avoiding skills gaps and ensuring an inclusive, resilient energy future. Empowering women in this transition also brings co-benefits for gender equality, economic development, and climate resilience.
IRENA has long championed gender equity in renewable energy through data, advocacy, and policy support. Building on this work, IRENA has released an updated edition of Renewable Energy: A Gender Perspective with new insights into women’s participation across the sector.
To mark the launch, the upcoming Second Edition of the Renewable Energy: A Gender Perspective event will convene government leaders, private sector actors, and civil society champions to share evidence, exchange solutions, and reaffirm that gender equity is not a side issue but a foundation for a just, inclusive, and sustainable energy transition.
To attend the event, please register here:
To view the agenda, please click here: