Gender Equity and Sustainable Livelihoods in Renewable Energy Value Chains

A conceptual framework through a social reproduction lens

As countries transition toward renewable energy and net zero emissions, participation in Renewable Energy Value Chains (REVCs) presents both opportunities and risks, particularly for economies in the Global South. While integration into these value chains can support industrial development, resilience, and job creation, it can also reproduce existing inequalities and patterns of dependence unless deliberately structured otherwise.

This conceptual framework provides a structured approach to assessing gender equity and sustainable livelihoods in REVCs, grounded in a social reproduction lens. Rather than focusing narrowly on employment outcomes, the framework examines how renewable energy transitions interact with the broader organisation of work and life, including the relationship between paid and unpaid labour, care responsibilities, and intersecting inequalities across gender, class, and geography.

The framework integrates gender equity and sustainable livelihoods into a systemic analysis of economic transformation. Its emphasis on sustainability extends beyond environmental concerns to ask whether economies are structured in ways that enable long-term, secure, and equitable livelihood conditions.

Three interconnected dimensions

The framework is organised around three core dimensions:

1. Global distribution of value
   Examines how value is created and distributed across global renewable energy value chains, and whether Global South countries are able to move beyond low value-added roles toward more transformative economic participation.

2. Work and livelihoods
   Assesses the quality, accessibility, and sustainability of employment generated through renewable energy transitions, with attention to gendered labour segmentation, unpaid care work, and livelihood security.

3. Ecological justice
   Considers whether renewable energy transitions promote environmentally sustainable pathways that are socially just, ensuring that ecological goals are aligned with equitable development outcomes.

Together, these dimensions enable analysis across scales, from global production networks to national policy and local labour markets, while foregrounding structural inequalities and the conditions necessary for inclusive development.

The framework is informed by extensive interdisciplinary research on renewable energy transitions, gender, economic development, social reproduction, and ecological justice. While not prescriptive, it provides a practical assessment matrix to guide policymakers, researchers, and advocates in evaluating how renewable energy transitions can foster gender-equitable employment and sustainable livelihoods.

Illustrative examples from South Africa, Kenya, and Ghana demonstrate how the framework can be applied in diverse African contexts.

This framework is designed as a tool for analysis and action, supporting more just, inclusive, and sustainable renewable energy transitions.

Gender Equity Framework