Gender Justice: A Cornerstone of Sustainable Energy Transitions

Transformation research extends beyond examining technological and economic changes to include questions of justice essential for forging a sustainable future. Our institute’s research on structural change in the Lusatia and Rhine regions has shown that gender differences are too often overlooked, a topic that we explored in depth in a recent contribution to the journal Forum Wissenschaft.

Structural change in Lusatia

Looking at existing studies on female perspectives on the coal phase-out, it is clear that gender justice needs to be at the heart of planning and change processes – not only to address existing inequalities but to prevent them from worsening. Gender differences become particularly stark in the context of processes of structural change, as their dynamics tend to exacerbate existing inequalities. Sustainable development in Lusatia, driven by the planned coal phase-out through 2038, is currently framed primarily in technical and economic terms, with an emphasis on efforts to compensate for job losses in the industry. ‘Soft’ factors – such as education, culture and social infrastructure – which particularly benefit women due to traditional gender roles, have received little attention. This is also due to the underrepresentation of women in decision-making bodies, where crucial decisions are being made for the transformation.

The BBSR Gender Index gives Lusatia a score of only 31.3% for female participation in political and public life (Milbert et al. 2026). Change processes in the region are not aligned with the needs of young women. Salomo (2019) describes the consequences, including the emigration of young and well-educated women from the region as well as the demographic masculinization of entire districts. These trends can foster violent, dominant behaviour among men, and may also fuel far-right sentiment, already widespread in Lusatia. Structural change that focuses exclusively on securing industrial jobs, technical innovation and infrastructure, will fail to counteract these dynamics and achieve transformative justice for the 52% of workers in Lusatia who were employed in the coal industry before 1989 (Pflücke/Jacobsen 2023). 

Intersectional overlaps of inequality in the energy transition

Women are particularly affected by the impacts of the climate crisis. As they often undertake the majority of unpaid care and nurturing work, they are exposed to health risks resulting from environmental pollution, water scarcity and extreme heat. Globally, these inequalities disproportionately affect indigenous populations and ethnic minorities whose livelihoods and cultural practices are closely linked to the surrounding environment. People with low incomes also struggle to protect themselves from climate-specific risks and often lack the financial resources to participate in the energy transition, for example, by purchasing electric vehicles, heat pumps or joining energy cooperatives. If energy transition processes are not thought through intersectionally and do not specifically seek to include marginalized groups, inequalities relating to income, gender, health, age and ethnicity will be exacerbated.

Why structural change needs gender justice

Structural change isn’limited to the coal phase-out; it extends to the automotive industry, the agricultural and maritime sectors, and the digitisation of emerging forms of labour. Transformation, therefore, affects all regions and sectors. Many of these industries are historically male-dominated. While women are often employed in stable sectors, such as the service industry, these jobs are typically less well-paid and rarely benefit from the investments in planned structural change processes. Gender justice is therefore no longer just a women’s issue. As transformations intensify inequalities, gender-sensitive perspectives and social justice should be considered as prerequisites of these processes (Bündnis Gleichstellung Lausitz 2023).

The role of science

The pace of economic and technological change will continue to accelerate, and emerging conflict lines are likely to become more acute. Inequality – often disproportionately impacting women – is frequently overlooked due to patriarchal leadership styles that prioritize economic success. Recent debates surrounding the Pelicot and Fernandes cases demonstrate how deeply ingrained gender inequality is within society and the close connection between transformation processes and dynamics of power and violence that are reflected in societal structures and our everyday lives. As scientists, we have a heightened responsibility to critically examine these developments and continue working on issues of social justice.

Literature

• Bündnis Gleichstellung Lausitz (2023): Mehr Geschlechtergerechtigkeit im Strukturwandel in der Lausitz. Positionspapier. URL: https://cottbus.de/verwaltung/ob/buero/beauftragte-der-stadt-cottbus/gleichstellungsbeauftragte/bundnis-gleichstellung-lausitz/.
• Milbert, Antonia / Blätgen, Nadine / Porschke, Alina / Runge, Annika / Stürmer, Elisabeth (2026): Strukturwandel braucht Gleichstellung. Eine Sonderauswertung des Gender-Index für die Lausitz. BBSR-Online-Publikation 04/2026. Bonn: Bundesinstitut für Bau-, Stadt- und Raumforschung (BBSR).
• Pflücke, Virginia Kimey / Jacobsen, Heike (2023): Keine Zukunft ohne Kohle? In: PROKLA, Jg. 53, Heft 212, S. 515–535.
• Salomo, Katja (2019): Abwanderung, Alterung, Frauenschwund. Die verkannte Gefahr für eine offene Gesellschaft. In: WZB Mitteilungen, Heft 165 (September), S. 10–12.