Energy Poverty Among Women in Jamaica’s Low-Income Communities

"A timely and important contribution to research on energy poverty and gender inequality, offering novel insights into a relatively understudied country in the Caribbean, with a core focus on low-income women and communities in Jamaica. It includes powerful and practical policy solutions to address current injustices, particularly through community and cooperative forms of organization. These insights can be used by Jamaican policymakers to enact real, impactful change, whilst also prompting further research into a vital field." —Max Lacey-Barnacle, Senior Research Fellow, Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex Business School This Palgrave Pivot investigates energy poverty in Jamaica, which is a growing problem that affects the mental, physical, and financial health of individuals, families, and communities, and its specific impact on women. It argues that the development of the energy sector has not been a gender-neutral process and has evolved and transitioned within the context of the global political economy, which has been irrevocably shaped and impacted by the lack of government regulation, an increase in efforts at privatization, and the effects of liberalization in terms of the development. Specifically, it shows that more often than not women bear the burden of sourcing, collecting, and using energy for household activities, agriculture, and income-generating tasks. As such, women are affected by energy poverty in many ways, including but not limited to time burdens and drudgery, health issues and physical burdens, as well as the issues that arise due to restrictions on information. This book will be of interest to students and scholars in gender studies, global development, economics, and politics, as well as policymakers and activists dedicated to gender equality and energy justice. Shinique Walters is a Lecturer with the Department of Government and Research Fellow at the Centre for Leadership and Governance at the University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica. She has worked in the areas of Project Management, Institutional Research, Monitoring and Evaluation, Gender Studies and Community Development.