| dc.description.abstract | In 2022, over half of Dutch households have difficulties paying their general expenses and 602.000
households (7.4% of the total) are estimated to live in energy poverty. Energy poverty – a term
popularised in the 1990s – is traditionally characterised as a combination of low incomes, high energy
bills and poor quality housing (Boardman, 1991). While official definitions do not (yet) exist, many
define it as the inability of households to attain sufficient energy services in the home. In line with
perspectives which view ‘energy’ as part of realising social practices (Shove & Walker, 2014), ‘energy
services’ refer to space heating (or cooling), cooking, ICTs or the efficiency of domestic white goods.
Poor energetic housing conditions due to a lack of insulation or poor maintenance are uncomfortable,
but can also be detrimental to physical and/or mental well-being. However, current energy poverty
approaches do not (yet) address the highly gendered dimensions of the phenomenon which make
women more vulnerable to energy poverty than men. Herein, ‘gender’ intersects with other mutually
coexisting personal factors such as age, socio-economic position, health status, and migrationbackground. Using a social practice approach, this qualitative study makes use of ethnographic
fieldwork, (in)formal interviews, and participatory action research (PAR) to study how energy poverty
is understood and acted upon through gendered energy practices in Kanaleneiland, Utrecht.
Kanaleneiland is a neighbourhood in Utrecht, the Netherlands, with a significant social housing stock,
large migrant population, and widespread income poverty problems. This study showcases how a
gendered practices perspective can reveal the higher likelihood of women experiencing energy
poverty and their role in acting upon it at home. Findings indicate that by association with femininity,
low-technical solutions to energy poverty are placed in the female domain, while masculinity is
attached to financial or technical strategies. Due to cultural differences and language barriers,
informal networks and active citizens were found to be crucial in knowledge transfer and sharing. The
disproportionate impacts and responsibilities carried by women make energy poverty a distinct
gender inequality problem. To ensure a more inclusive energy transition, recognition of women’s
distinctive energy-user experiences, cultural sensitivity through (in)formal networks, and
acknowledgement of the structural and systematic inequalities underlying energy poverty is
recommended. | |
