Gender Roles on Energy Consumption for Sustainability: A Case of Kathmandu Urban Households.

Sustainability has become a global topic and is pursued in all countries along South Asia—Nepal, that it has become part of the political agenda, specifically visible in Kathmandu, the country’s capital. Household is one of the highest energy-consuming sectors, and women have a higher responsibility for household chores in most cases. However, women are still lagged in the energy sector. The energy studies are more focused on technical policy with limitations of the gender lens. This study analyzes energy, gender, and sustainability interlinkage as a common goal and identifies the economic, environmental, and social sustainability of energy consumption from a gender perspective in Kathmandu’s. The findings show that female participation in energy decisions is likely to increase in female-headed families. Kathmandu urban women still have lack of knowledge, the right information, and affordability. The overall sustainability study indicates that the energy policy needs to be a gender-neutral policy. Conclusively, innovative technical interventions can be combined with the subsidy, increase women’s participation to reduce inequality, encourage efficient cooking technology to reduce the nation’s financial burden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]