TY - JOUR

T1 - Strengthening gender justice in a just transition

T2 - A research agenda based on a systematic map of gender in coal transitions

AU - Walk, Paula

AU - Braunger, Isabell

AU - Semb, Josephine

AU - Brodtmann, Carolin

AU - Oei, Pao Yu

AU - Kemfert, Claudia

N1 - Funding: We gratefully acknowledge support granted from the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) by financing the research group “CoalExit” [grant number 01LN1704A] as part of the “Global Change” funding priority and from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program funding the CINTRAN project [grant agreement No. 884539]. Isabell Braunger and Paula Walk gratefully acknowledge funding from the graduate program “The Great Transformation” from Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung.

PY - 2021/9/21

Y1 - 2021/9/21

N2 - For climate change mitigation, a rapid phase-out of fossil fuels such as coal is necessary. This has far-reaching gender-specific consequences. This paper presents a systematic map of the literature that examines the impact of historical coal phase-out processes on women and their role in these processes. The search process consisted of screening over 3100 abstracts and reading 247 full-text studies. The analysis of the 73 publications ultimately included in the systematic map shows that past coal phase-outs meant both opportunities (e.g., increased labour market participation) as well as burdens for women (e.g., double burden of job and household). It becomes clear that agency within coal transitions was also gendered. For example, it was difficult for women to gain access to union structures, which led them to organise themselves into grassroots movements. Our research shows that policies aiming for a just sustainability transition should always be explicitly gender-responsive. However, the impact of sustainability transitions on women’s lives remains largely under-researched. Therefore, we propose a research agenda based on our findings containing six key issues that need to be addressed scientifically.

AB - For climate change mitigation, a rapid phase-out of fossil fuels such as coal is necessary. This has far-reaching gender-specific consequences. This paper presents a systematic map of the literature that examines the impact of historical coal phase-out processes on women and their role in these processes. The search process consisted of screening over 3100 abstracts and reading 247 full-text studies. The analysis of the 73 publications ultimately included in the systematic map shows that past coal phase-outs meant both opportunities (e.g., increased labour market participation) as well as burdens for women (e.g., double burden of job and household). It becomes clear that agency within coal transitions was also gendered. For example, it was difficult for women to gain access to union structures, which led them to organise themselves into grassroots movements. Our research shows that policies aiming for a just sustainability transition should always be explicitly gender-responsive. However, the impact of sustainability transitions on women’s lives remains largely under-researched. Therefore, we propose a research agenda based on our findings containing six key issues that need to be addressed scientifically.

KW - Coal phase-out

KW - Gender

KW - Just transition

KW - Research agenda

KW - Systematic map

KW - Women

KW - Sustainability Governance

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85115362200&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.3390/en14185985

DO - 10.3390/en14185985

M3 - Journal articles

AN - SCOPUS:85115362200

VL - 14

JO - Energies

JF - Energies

SN - 1996-1073

IS - 18

M1 - 5985

ER -