Gender Disparities in Clean Cooking Transitions: Evidence from Households in Urban Zambia

Abstract

This study investigates gender disparities in access to and decision-making power over clean cooking energy in Mtendere, an urban settlement in Lusaka, Zambia. A convergent mixed-methods design was employed to triangulate quantitative associations with qualitative insights into household decision-making dynamics, drawing on structured questionnaires and in-depth interviews with 395 households selected through stratified random sampling across five zones to ensure socio-economic representation. Results reveal that despite women being the primary cooks in (87.8%) of households, only (34.7%) reported being involved in decisions regarding cooking fuel. Charcoal remains the dominant cooking fuel (92.4%), and power outages affect (78.0%) of households. Quantitative analysis showed a highly significant association between the gender of the household head and who makes the final decision on cooking energy (χ² = 257.76, p < 0.001, Cramér's V = 0.81), indicating a very strong relationship. Female-headed households were more likely to use cleaner fuels and exercise autonomous decision-making. Education level and household income also significantly influenced clean fuel adoption. Crucially, while (79.2%) of respondents were aware of clean cooking options, adoption remained below (6%), underscoring that awareness alone is insufficient to drive transition. The findings underscore that in urban Zambian households, gendered power structures, not merely affordability or access, fundamentally constrain women's agency in energy choices, perpetuating reliance on polluting fuels. This study contributes to policy and scholarship by empirically demonstrating that achieving Sustainable Development Goals 5 (Gender Equality) and 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) in Zambia requires gender-transformative interventions that address intra-household decision-making inequities and position women not merely as beneficiaries but as central actors in clean energy transitions.