The gEneSys project, coordinated by IRPPS-CNR, conceptualizes the energy transition as a socio-technical ecosystem with significant implications regarding gender issues and other forms of inequality. This ecosystem consists of a series of subsystems: technological, political, social, environmental, economic, and governance subsystems, each with its own vision of sustainability and its own system of values and priorities.

Energy transition as a socio-technical innovation system composed of interacting subsystems

Numerous reports have demonstrated how women are underrepresented in each of these subsystems in the decision-making processes that govern and will increasingly govern the energy transition in the near future. In order to build a more equitable, fair, and inclusive energy system, interventions specifically targeted at resolving such inequalities are therefore necessary.

The landscape of research and innovation areas involved in the energy transition (from UK EPSRC research portfolio)

gEneSys aims to suggest development pathways for such interventions through a series of data collection activities, policy analysis, and concrete actions within each of the identified subsystems. In particular:

– Regarding the political subsystem, gEneSys will conduct a review of policy frameworks at the European and national levels relating to the energy sector in order to identify the extent to which gender aspects are taken into consideration.

– Regarding the economic subsystem, gEneSys will examine statistics on the participation and role of women in energy-related sectors as researchers, innovators, entrepreneurs, and workers. The data collected will also enable a better understanding of consumer behaviors and attitudes toward the energy transition.

– Regarding the environmental subsystem, gEneSys will gather evidence to support environmental and climate policies that transform the systems and mechanisms that generate gender discrimination.

– Regarding the socio-cultural subsystem, gEneSys will apply a gender analysis lens to the 400 social priorities identified by the EU Energy SHIFTS Project to understand how countries can transition to an energy system that overcomes gender discrimination in our societies.

– Regarding the technological subsystem, gEneSys will collect information on the market and employment prospects for women in the energy transition as researchers, innovators, entrepreneurs, and workers, as well as examples of mechanisms that enable broader participation of women.

In a broader perspective, the project will promote international cooperation and the involvement of various actors who can promote virtuous change in Europe and Africa in order to highlight the benefits deriving from gender equality and the adoption of an intersectional perspective for achieving socioeconomic sustainable development goals.

Consortium:

• National Research Council (CNR) – Coordinator
• Venice International University (VIU)
• Imperial College of Science Technology and Medicine (IC)
• Jagiellonian University (UJ)
• Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA)
• Fraunhofer Gesellschaft zur Forderung der Anegenwandten Forschung Ev (IAO)
• African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS)
• Portia GGMBH