Electrification and Socio-Economic Empowerment of Women in India

Ashish Kumar Sedai, Rabindra Nepal and Tooraj Jamasb

The Energy Journal, 2022, vol. 43, issue 2, 215-238

Abstract: This study moves beyond the consensus of counting electrified households as a measure of progress in gender energy parity. Using the India Human Development Survey, we examine the effect of reliability of electrification on empowerment of women in terms of economic autonomy, agency, mobility and decision-making abilities, underscoring the labor market and respite effects of service reliability. We develop a comprehensive set of empowerment indices using principal component analysis and assess the causal effects of power outages on the indices with instrumental variable regressions while controlling for individual, household, district and caste characteristics. Results show that reliability of electricity lias significant positive effects on all empowerment indices and improves women’s labor market outcomes, however, the effects differ at the margin of deficiency, location, living standards and education. The study recommends policy focus on electrification from a gendered lens for cost-effective solutions.

Keywords: Women empowerment; Reliable electricity; Labor Market; Principal Component Analysis; Instrumental Variables (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Electrification and Socio-Economic Empowerment of Women in India (2022)
Working Paper: Electrification and Socio-Economic Empowerment of Women in India (2020)
Working Paper: Electrification and Socio-Economic Empowerment of Women in India (2020)
Working Paper: Electrification and Socio-economic Empowerment of Women in India (2020)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:enejou:v:43:y:2022:i:2:p:215-238

DOI: 10.5547/01956574.43.2.ased

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