Women's role in the green transition in Europe: A focus on energy poverty
A policy brief by: Marta Pompili & Yolanda Betrán
January 2026
It is not a novelty that crises have a gendered impact and it is women who often suffer the most. The COVID-19 pandemic was not an exception: it exacerbated disparities, with women-led households across Europe reducing food expenditures to pay energy bills. A study on energy poverty in the city of Madrid showcases, for instance, that the use of heating and cooling systems during the COVID-19 pandemic was strongly conditioned by the increase of electric energy prices. For this piece of research on the city of Madrid, a total of 16 semi-structured interviews were undertaken during the winters of 2019 and 2020, before and after the COVID-19 lockdown(s), concluding that this crisis deepened the link between energy poverty and gender inequality, as women’s energy needs surged while their economic stability declined. Moreover, the 2021 energy price surge and the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine created unprecedented volatility in energy markets, thereby making basic energy access unaffordable for millions of households. In 2022 alone, over 42 million EU citizens (9.3% of the population) were unable to keep their homes adequately warm and millions of women were pushed into poverty, exposing Europe's dependence on volatile fossil fuel markets.
Increasingly concerning shocks of any kind are further exacerbated as they are set within the global climate crisis.
Climate change is a pressing challenge for humanity worldwide, but while its effect is unquestionable, its impact is not distributed equally. Racialized communities, people in poverty or with disabilities, elderly individuals, and women bear the brunt of the climate crisis. Too frequently, this is not reflected in policy- and law-making, resulting in climate policy that is not equality-sensitive and tends to exacerbate existing inequalities. In Europe - where climate change is increasingly causing frequent natural hazards, death and destruction - a major effect of climate change on women is particularly clear when it comes to energy poverty. This phenomenon, which lacks a binding definition across the EU, is generally defined as an individual’s inability to attain a socially and materially necessitated level of domestic energy services. As research demonstrates, this is often caused by three factors: 1) high energy prices, 2) low incomes, and 3) poor energy performance of buildings.
As the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) notes, ‘energy poverty is not about households, it’s about who is in those households’. Indeed, women and women-led households are disproportionately affected by energy poverty due to structural inequalities in income distribution, socio-economic status and the gender care gap. Therefore, energy poverty is a structurally gendered phenomenon.
In Europe, and beyond, women are more likely to experience financial insecurity due to lower average incomes (i.e. gender pay gap), a higher likelihood of part-time employment, and increased unpaid caregiving responsibilities. Consequently, women-led households often face greater difficulties in affording adequate energy services.
Studies reveal that, in 2022, approximately 41 million Europeans struggled with energy poverty, and among them, women are disproportionately impacted. Single-parent households - of which the vast majority are headed by women - are particularly vulnerable. Furthermore, older women, who have higher life expectancy than men and often live alone on lower pensions, are at significant risk of energy deprivation because of their specific needs. Indeed, according to Eurostat, women over 65 are more likely than men to experience energy poverty, with many struggling to pay for heating or electricity bills.
The impact of energy poverty on women varies depending on socio-economic status, geographical location, and personal circumstances. In Southern and Eastern European countries, where energy costs represent a higher proportion of household expenditures, women in lower-income brackets are often forced to make difficult trade-offs between heating their homes and purchasing essential goods such as food or medication. A study from Romania found that women in rural areas rely on inefficient biomass fuels, leading to both economic hardship and adverse health consequences due to indoor air pollution.
Women with disabilities or chronic illnesses also face a heightened risk of energy poverty, as they often require medical equipment that consumes electricity, and they may spend more time at home, increasing their energy needs. Without adequate financial support, they are particularly vulnerable to energy price increases. Migrant and racialized women, who frequently work in precarious and low-wage jobs, also experience a disproportionate burden of energy poverty, often living in poorly insulated housing with limited access to social benefits.
A variety of actors have begun addressing the gendered dimensions of energy poverty through various initiatives. The European Parliament has increasingly acknowledged the gendered dimensions of energy poverty, with studies highlighting the need for targeted interventions. The European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) has also stressed that energy poverty should be analyzed through a gender lens to ensure effective solutions. However, despite these efforts, there remains a lack of recognition of access to energy as a human right as well as a binding EU-wide definition of ‘energy poverty’ and legal framework that explicitly integrate gender considerations into energy and climate policies. These, together with further challenges, such as the lack of gender-disaggregated data failing to capture intra-household inequalities, leave women’s energy burdens invisible in official statistics.
The European Commission's 2020/1563 Recommendation on energy poverty highlights that adequate warmth, cooling, lighting, and energy to power appliances are essential services underpinning a decent standard of living and health. The recommendation underscores the importance of addressing energy poverty to promote social inclusion and well-being. Also, Directive (EU) 2019/944 on common rules for the internal market for electricity mandates Member States to define and monitor energy poverty, implementing measures to protect vulnerable consumers. This directive aims to ensure that all citizens have access to essential energy services and states that ‘Access to a citizen energy community's network should be granted on fair and cost- reflective terms’.
Additional initiatives like the Renovation Wave and the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, prioritize decarbonization but frequently overlook social equity. Without explicit attention to gendered energy needs, climate policies risk exacerbating existing inequalities. Additionally, women’s underrepresentation in energy decision-making means their perspectives are often absent, leading to policies that may reinforce rather than dismantle structural inequities (for example, none of these pieces of legislation takes into account the relationship between women’s identity and household identity).
More generally, the EU climate regime - founded on the European Green Deal (2019) and the Fit for 55 Package (2021), a set of ambitious targets for climate neutrality and renewable energy - only limitedly aim to incorporate the social dimension and impacts of the phenomenon in question and particularly its gender implications.
In 2018, the European Commission launched the EU Energy Poverty Observatory (EPO), a tool aimed to enhance the EU’s understanding and response to energy poverty. It was a key initiative under the “Clean Energy for All Europeans” package, aiming to centralize data, support policy development, and foster dialogue on energy poverty across Member States. In 2021, the Energy Poverty Advisory Hub (EPAH) replaced the EPO, expanding and deepening its mission. The shift marked a move from observation to action, aligning with the European Green Deal and Fit for 55 targets.
In general, despite the established complex theoretical architecture, the EU green transition framework keeps on attempting to advance ambitious climate goals, while struggling to address adverse effects on equality and inclusion, including by limiting gendered energy poverty, thereby failing to comply with the ‘leave no one behind’ principle.
At the international level, we face similar problems: access to energy is not explicitly enshrined as a human right in International Law. Nevertheless, Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) provides the “Right to adequate standards of living”, which may be progressively interpreted as to include access to essential services like heating, lighting, and cooking. On the contrary, the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) do explicitly recognize access to energy as a human right (Goal 7), although effective implementation is still lacking.
While many international organizations and other actors are involved in the fight against energy poverty, a more inclusive approach to this gendered crisis is essential to ensure that the shift to a sustainable energy future truly leaves no one behind. Energy poverty must not be treated as just an economic issue but as a social and gendered phenomenon. The gender-energy nexus is not a side-debate in high-class climate policy circles; it is central to building a sustainable and equitable European future for all.
Policies must truly integrate a gender-responsive approach that acknowledges and mitigates the structural disadvantages women face in accessing affordable and sustainable energy. For example, gender-responsive social tariffs, targeted energy subsidies, and investment in energy-efficient social housing can help alleviate the burden of energy poverty among women. Additionally, programs promoting women’s participation in renewable energy sectors and energy decision-making processes can contribute to long-term solutions that address structural inequalities in the energy transition.
Additional recommendations may include the following:
Developing a common EU definition of energy poverty.
Ensuring women's representation in policy-making bodies and supporting energy literacy and leadership for women, especially those managing household energy.
Prioritizing investment in energy efficiency for vulnerable groups, including elderly women, single mothers, and rural households.
Energy poverty solutions must account for the unpaid domestic labor (e.g., cooking, cleaning) that falls disproportionately on women, requiring affordable and efficient energy sources.
Using disaggregated data and mixed-method tools to track gender-energy poverty overlaps and adjust national policies accordingly.
Supporting human and financial resources projects such as WISE (Women In Solidarity for Energy).
