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| Author and Title |
Green, Maryann J., Merridy Wilson "The Empowerment of women through the introduction of solar ovens in Maphephethe, Kwazulu- Nepal" |
| Article in |
Paper presented at the Second World Solar Cooking Conference, Kimberly, 26-29 November 2000 |
| Available online at |
http://www.solarcookers.co.za |
| End use |
Energy for households |
| Energy technology |
Solar Energy |
| Issue |
Reducing women's workload; empowerment of women |
| Level |
Case study |
| Description |
In a survey conducted in Maphephethe, a rural community about 80km west of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, it was found that for many of the women, the collection of firewood was one of their greatest burdens, significantly impacting on their quality of life. In response to these findings a solar cooking project was initiated in an effort to empower the women of Maphephethe by reducing their wood collection burden and so improving their quality of life. Green and Wilson study this project are present their findings.
From this study it seems that, in general, the introduction of solar ovens to the community of Maphephethe is feasible, although some constraints would need to be addressed. Since the women bear the total responsibility for the arduous task of wood collection as well as the household cooking, the solar oven has the potential to ease their workload and so to contribute to an improved quality of life. Although the solar oven seems to bridge the gap between technological development, which traditionally falls in the men's domain, and women's household responsibilities, the potential for what has been called the "gender tug-of-war" to develop must be remembered. If carefully promoted, however, it is believed that the solar oven could provide a means of confronting the gender constraints and stereotypes linked to technology transfer. |
This bibliography item provided with financial support of the Department for International Development of the UK Government (DFID) and ENERGIA International Network on Gender and Sustainable Energy
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