Women's empowerment and energy- Energy needs in rural areas are directly related to the role of women in providing essential amenities, such as safe and sufficient water for homes and cattle, fodder for crops, and other activities. Since women work to source and utilize energy, they have a strong relationship with it. Often, women must do the heavy lifting and carry heavy loads over long distances at great To provide fuel for their homes and productivity needs, they take risks to their health and safety. When fuelwood is not readily available, the food habits of the family change, thereby affecting its nutritional requirements. Cooking is also a health risk since women are most likely to do so. Smoke and particulates from indoor fires expose them and their young children to large amounts of smoke and cause respiratory problems. Lack of energy services is directly related to low education levels, poor health, and limited employment opportunities.
Women and energy policies- Women and men are affected differently by changes in the availability of energy as a result of policies. It is therefore important to factor gender into energy policy development. India's gender-sensitive energy reforms are discussed in the following section.
1) "RGGLV" is the Rajiv Gandhi Gramin LPG Vitrak- “Establishes small LPG distribution agencies in remote or low-potential rural areas to increase rural penetration where refills can be provided at 6,000 per month. A joint name will be used for all agencies under this scheme. Single applicants will be required to give an undertaking that 'Spouse' will automatically become a 'Partner' after marriage. Empowering rural women will be achieved in this way.
2) National Biomass Cook Stoves Programme- In 2009-10, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy started a Special Project on Cookstoves (SPC) to address concerns regarding health, climate change, and energy security. Biomass cookstoves also reduce greenhouse gases as a result of cleaner combustion.
Technology that is gender-friendly - Every resource, including energy, has a gender. Having access to, using, and managing this resource can be beneficial to men and women for different reasons. Energy needs to be understood from a social perspective including the lack of electricity, the lack of light when cooking, the pollution caused by traditional fuels for cooking and lighting, and a gender analysis of access and control. Historically, energy policy has largely ignored the gender dimension associated with energy availability.
The smoke caused by these ingredients is suffered by the people who cook with cow dung, firework, and kerosene. The household is also lit by kerosene lamps. Since women must handle all household chores during the day, they cannot engage in any income-generating activity. Kerosene lamps may also cause accidental burns. When living in such poor conditions, most rural Indian women struggle to prepare meals for the family. In spite of the fact that women are a major part of the energy supply chain, most community engagement strategies are geared toward men, and women have been reduced to mere consumers of energy. Women are more likely to become more effective energy programmers if they are considered because they manage energy resources at home.
A reliable and affordable supply of energy is therefore imperative to ensuring socio-economic development as well as the quality of life. There are many ways in which gender-friendly technologies can empower women, such as LPG, improved cookstoves, and solar lanterns.
