Gender differences in household energy decision-making and impacts in energy saving to achieve sustainability: A case of Kathmandu

Abstract

Electrical appliances use increased in the households of Kathmandu city for the last three decades. The use and purchase of appliances have a significant contribution to household energy‐saving behavior. This study examines gender differences in electrical appliances purchase decision‐making process based on socioeconomic context—headship, family composition, ethnicity, and location as objective variables; and subjective variables—energy practice, knowledge, and consciousness. Data were collected from 623 households survey with cross‐sectional interviews for diversity in Kathmandu in inner‐city, middle‐city, and outer‐city layer. The findings indicated that women actively participated in energy‐saving practices, and men had little higher energy knowledge in technology. In terms of attitude, women scored significantly higher for environmental consciousness by checking energy bills than men. Household energy saving positively influenced through female participation in energy decision‐making process; however, they had a low level of technical knowledge. The study expects to contribute to energy policy for the effective decision‐making process to achieve sustainability from empirical knowledge of gender differences.