This new edition of ENERGIA News showcases various ways in which women are benefiting from LPG and, by doing so, illustrates what can be done – at various points in the LPG value chain – in order for LPG to support women’s needs and goals and hence contribute to wider gender equity.

It follows up on the 2014 ENERGIA and World LPG Association (WLPGA) report “Cooking with gas: Why women in developing countries want LPG and how they can get it”, which looks at the linkages between gender and LPG. The study found that many cases, LPG is not seen as a solution for household energy and certainly not for the poor. Rather, it is seen as a fossil fuel, and an expensive fuel: ‘the LPG problem’, as the authors termed it. Yet, the experience also led to believe that this ‘LPG problem’ is based on a myth and that women do want LPG. They do benefit from LPG and they do find ways of accessing and using LPG because of its many benefits. In those countries and regions where LPG use is growing, women are experiencing benefits and LPG is being seen as a solution to many energy challenges rather than as a problem. Thus, in this edition of ENERGIA News, we look at LPG and gender.

Coordinating editor for this issue was Margaret Matinga, one of ENERGIA’s technical advisors and co-author of the report “Cooking with Gas: Why women in developing countries want LPG and how they can get it.”

The guest editors were Alison Abbott from the World LPG Association and Christina Yu from the Global LPG Partnership.

Download the file here: ENERGIA News, September 2015