Five things you should know about women (and men)
The following Guest Blog is provided by Peter Alstone from Humboldt State University
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Let’s begin with what should be obvious: about half the people on Earth are women.
In light of that, it is absolutely necessary to account for their needs and power to make a difference in the off-grid world.
The Lighting Africa program released a new report that moves the conversation forward about how to expand women’s role in the off-grid lighting market forward.
Women, like men, have a lot to gain from modern lighting and their involvement in the supply chain is a key to success. The benefits of modern lighting are well known. Compared to kerosene it can save money, reduce indoor air pollution, eliminate fire risk, and provide better quality light. What might have been less obvious is the key role women play in the success of the market…
The five key things you should know are:
1) Women and men agree! Modern, clean lighting is better than the fuel-based status quo, and there aren’t big differences in their preferences for household lighting.
2) Entrepreneurial women and men run different kinds of businesses with different lighting needs. Think vegetable stand versus metal work.
3) Women hold the purse strings in many households, and make about 40% of the decisions related to lighting purchases. They are key buyers.
4) Women and children bear the brunt of indoor pollution from fuel-based lighting. Both men and women with awareness of the issue prefer modern lighting.
5) We need to deploy micro-finance to support modern lighting. Women have even less access to formal banking than men in the developing world.
~ Peter Alstone
