Empowering women to combat energy poverty in South Asia

Energy poverty remains a persistent challenge in South Asia, particularly among rural populations, however limited attention has been given to the role of women's empowerment in mitigating this issue. This study addresses this research gap by introducing a novel Multidimensional Women's Empowerment Index (MWEI) and investigating the relationship with multidimensional energy poverty across five South Asian countries. Utilizing nationally representative Demographic and Health Survey data from 2001 to 2018, we apply mixed-effects logistic regression and a two-stage least squares (2SLS) estimation to control for potential endogeneity and unobserved heterogeneity. The results revealed that higher levels of women's empowerment, defined through their participation in household decision-making, education, and employment, are significantly associated with reduced household energy poverty. Notably, countries such as India, Nepal, and Pakistan experienced energy poverty reductions of over 70 % in households with high MWEI scores. However, significant urban-rural disparities in energy poverty alleviation persist. This study contributes to the literature by empirically quantifying the causal link between women's empowerment and energy poverty reduction through a novel composite index and robust econometric techniques. The findings underscore the critical need for gender-inclusive energy and development policies, especially in rural areas, to effectively combat energy poverty and support the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals.