Gender, justice and the green hydrogen transition: moving to inclusive policymaking

Gender equality holds transformative potential to accelerate green transition. This transformative potential does not only come from numbers but also from the content of our decisions and actions.

Research has shown that climate change is a gendered phenomenon, where the effects of climate change are different for men and women due to their unique environmental, social, and economic impacts (Boyd et al., 2019; Lander Svendsen et al., 2022). These factors together imply that great potential for both economic growth, innovation and equality is lost considering that women as innovators, decision-makers and consumers have been found to prioritize sustainability over economic gain (see e.g., EIGE, 2016; Boyd et al., 2019; IRENA, 2019). Research also underscores that the political empowerment of women and their active involvement in decision-making and the labor market correlates with better environmental outcomes (Ergas & York, 2012), and more diverse and inclusive research teams yield more socially responsive and sustainable solutions (e.g. Jie et al., 2023). In addition, innovation in renewable energy production could contribute up to 2.7 million more jobs in STI. However, due to the gendered barriers for women to enter and stay in these masculine sectors that are pivotal in facilitating the path of green transition, there is a lack of suitable specialists. (EIGE, 2016; IRENA, 2019). To address pressing societal challenges, new inclusive approaches to STI policymaking are not only essential but urgent.
Yet, for instance, energy policies throughout the EU Member States appear gender-blind (Clancy & Feenstra, 2019). Some studies address gender equality in energy transition (e.g.; Lieu et al., 2020; Walk et al., 2021; Elamson et al. 2021; Standal & Feenstra, 2022; Ring et al., 2022) but little research exists concerning the intersection of technologies, gender, or justice. Simply greening energy systems will not make them fairer, inclusive, or just (Johnson et al., 2020). Rather, if we continue to ignore the gendered differences of climate change and green transition, we risk continuing or even further exacerbating existing local and global gender inequalities and injustices.

In this paper, we use hydrogen as a case example of an energy sector which is pivotal in green transition, and address inclusion from a gender perspective. Although, for example, the Nordic region has emphasized the need for social- and gender-just climate actions, it is still a valid and unresolved question of how inclusion is considered and implemented in green energy policies and initiatives.
Sufficiency of green energy is crucial in the green transition as industries are electrifying at a rapid pace, and this sector suffers from a significant lack of women’s involvement (Elamson et al., 2021). How green energy is produced and used is a key question, but it needs to be approached not only from sufficiency but also from a justice perspective which addresses e.g., gender-responsiveness of policies and equal sharing of burdens of green transition (Walk et al., 2021; Winkler, 2020). To gain just green transition demands a firmer application of inclusiveness in decision-making.

Conceptual literature

We take a feminist perspective into green energy transition. Bringing into the analysis a lens of feminist philosophy of technology we can see more clearly many of the structural, power-related, and interlinked elements of energy transition policy. Feminist philosophy of technology is an
interdisciplinary field that critically examines the intersection of gender, technology, and society, challenging the traditional assumptions about technology, such as technology neutrality (Kranzberg, 1986), by incorporating feminist perspectives into looking at how technology shapes and is shaped by gender norms, power dynamics, and social structures (Loch 2019). Feminist theory approaches technology from a critical perspective, examining how it intersects with gender, power dynamics, and social structures, viewing gendered technologies as an area where the ways that technology is often designed and used reinforces delimiting and one-dimensional gender norms and stereotypes, associating certain technologies with masculinity or femininity (e.g., coding as male-dominated, caregiving apps as female-oriented). Most importantly, feminist theory challenges the idea that technology is neutral or autonomous. Instead, it is always shaped by social, cultural, and political contexts.

We understand gender as a social structure (Connell & Pearse, 2015), as well as a way of “categorizing, ordering and symbolizing power, or hierarchically structuring relationships among different categories of people, and different human activities symbolically associated with masculinity or femininity” (Cohn, 2013, 3). While we acknowledge the intersectional nature of gender, our initial focus in this study is on gender, as calls for integration of gender equality and gender mainstreaming have in the recent years been raised on Nordic policy agendas (e.g. The Nordic Council of Ministers Nordic co-operation program on gender equality for 2019-2024). However, the study also investigates the integration of broader social justice considerations into hydrogen policy.

Methodology and data

Case study on Nordic green hydrogen transition
The study takes place in a green hydrogen case study setting, focusing on hydrogen related policy in the five Nordic countries: Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland. Green (or clean) hydrogen has the potential to play a key role in a clean, secure, and affordable energy future in the EU (Conte, 2009). Hydrogen technologies are not new; however, they have garnered renewed interest amidst growing European efforts towards carbon neutrality and the Russian annexation of Ukraine. The hydrogen-hype stems from the capability of hydrogen to decarbonize various hard-to-abate sectors, such as transport and aviation industries, by serving as a versatile energy carrier, storage solution, and raw material. Therefore, we currently observe the rapid development of hydrogen as one of the green energy solutions, boosting the research, development, and innovation landscape from raw material extraction to infrastructure and logistics, and new business models.

At the same time, concerns of unequal value distribution and social injustice in green energy production and consumption raise concerns. Many of the concerns result from uncertainty about how the hydrogen industry will evolve in the coming years, given that according to Conte (2009), a shift to a hydrogen economy will require radically new technologies with a lengthy transitional approach. Whilst in its very early stages, the establishment of local, national, and regional hydrogen valleys and economies will inevitably require substantial investments and infrastructural development from new wind and solar farms, nuclear power plants, hydrogen facilities, transmission pipelines and routes, to large-scale storage facilities. In addition, the hydrogen transition involves critical gender-related questions of workforce and talent availability, and gender-justice considerations when it comes to the siting of hydrogen infrastructure and the phasing out of the coal industry. For these reasons, we consider the hydrogen sector and hydrogen-related policies and strategies to a critical case to examine through a gender-lens.

The discussion on inclusivity in the green hydrogen transition is of relevance in the Nordic countries, as they offer relatively favorable conditions for the production and export of green and clean hydrogen and have ambitious plans to become leading European hydrogen producers and exporters. Out of the Nordic countries, only Finland remains without a distinct national hydrogen policy or strategy. However, the Finnish government has adopted a resolution outlining its ambition for Finland to become “the European lead in the hydrogen economy in the entire value chain” (Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, 2023).

Data collection and analysis

The data for the case study is collected in two consecutive phases. In the first phase, we have collected and analyzed hydrogen-related policies (climate, energy, industry and hydrogen-specific policies and strategies) across the Nordic countries. A detailed methodology was employed, focusing on specific data extracted from existent publicly available policy documents. The data consisted of 36 policy documents from Finland, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden, that were published during the timeframe of 2020-2024. This timeframe allowed us to retrieve topical policy documents that address the role of hydrogen in the green energy transition. The documents were analyzed via of thematic grouping and content analysis. The types of documents varied widely, encompassing national energy and climate plans, including documents focusing specifically on hydrogen energy, government strategies for green transitions, and specific reports on gender equality in the energy sector.

At first, bibliometric data was registered, such as the policy document name, date of publication and document type describing the nature of the document (such as national plans, sector reports, or gender-specific analyses). Secondly, each document was assessed for the presence of gender terms and the extent to which gender considerations were embedded into energy policies, using several keywords (woman, women, man, men, girl, equality, inclusion, equity). We also scanned the documents for broader social justice considerations (keywords: social, justice, just). This methodological approach provided a structured basis for evaluating the depth and prevalence of gender and social justice considerations across different types of policy documents in the Nordic energy sector.
The second phase of the data collection includes one-to-one and focus group interviews with industry and policy actors, to collect information about gender equality and inclusion practices in the green hydrogen sector and policy domain.

Preliminary results

This study is still in progress. However, we are able to present findings from the first phase of data collection: the document analysis.
Across the broader Nordic region, approximately 29% mention gender in some form. However, only about 18% of these documents feature gender as an integral part of their energy strategies. For instance, Norway’s "Gender Equality Strategy for the Maritime Sector" not only mentions but also prescribes specific measures such as enhanced recruitment strategies and role model promotion to address gender disparities. Similarly, Denmark highlights the potential for positive gender impacts through green job creation within its government strategy, although it does not describe how this would occur in practice. However, when gender and social justice were considered in national climate, energy, or industrial policy, this did not translate to hydrogen policy or strategies.

Social justice considerations were more prevalent in the documents, as approximately 43% of the documents mention social justice. However, these social justice considerations are mainly discourse
level notions, and lack in substance and strategic implementation. For instance, a report of the Finnish Prime Minister’s Office on the opportunities and limitations of hydrogen economy states that hydrogen future must be built on a socially, environmentally, and economically sustainable foundation. However, focusing mainly on technical-economic aspects, the document lacks in further considerations or measures how a socially sustainable foundation for hydrogen economy can be reached.

The preliminary result of our analysis underscores a discernible trend, that while there is recognition of the necessity to consider gender and broader social justice aspects in energy policies, the depth of this integration varies and is often superficial. The Nordic countries are at the initial stages of embedding gender considerations deeply and consistently across their energy policies, suggesting a critical area for further development to ensure these considerations meaningfully influence policy formulation and execution.

So far, the findings of this study support the findings of previous research, where little focus is given to the role of gender on the implementation of the green energy transition, and the burdens and benefits of green energy initiatives of different social groups.