Título: Intra-Household Power, Gender Roles, and the Determinants of Energy Poverty
Ponente: Santiago Budria (Universidad Antonio de Nebrija, CEEAplA & IZA)
Fecha y hora: 23/06/2026, 13:00
Inscripción online (cierre 30 minutos antes del inicio): https://forms.gle/XYhjDhfnRZyge4hR9
Lugar: Thinking Lab del Edificio Torretamarit (CIO) y online
Organizador: Carlos Gutiérrez Hita
Abstract:
This paper examines the role of intra-household decision-making in shaping energy poverty outcomes. While a large body of research has focused on conventional determinants such as income, energy prices, and housing conditions, the distribution of decision-making power within households remains largely unexplored. Using the 2007–2022 waves of the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey, a nationally representative longitudinal dataset, we estimate panel data models to analyse how individual bargaining power affects the probability of experiencing energy poverty. Our approach distinguishes between female and male decision-making power, using both continuous measures of participation in household decisions and discrete indicators of decision-making dominance. The results show that greater female empowerment is consistently associated with a lower likelihood of energy poverty, whereas male decision-making power does not exhibit a significant effect. These findings are robust across alternative specifications and measures of intra-household power. The results point to the potential of gender-sensitive policies aimed at strengthening women’s agency as a complementary tool to reduce energy deprivation.
Coautores:
Alejandro Betancourt-Odio – Universidad Pontificia Comillas
Santiago Budria – Universidad Antonio de Nebrija, CEEAplA & IZA
Marlene Fonseca – Universidad Antonio de Nebrija & IZA
Carlos Gutiérrez Hita – Universidad Miguel Hernández & CIO