Energy poverty, defined as inadequate access to affordable, modern, and sustainable energy services, poses a significant global challenge. Sub-Saharan Africa is particularly affected, with millions lacking access to clean cooking fuels and electricity, leading to health and environmental problems. While previous research has highlighted the vulnerability of women and people with disabilities to energy poverty, this study adopts an intersectional framework to understand how these identities interact to shape the experience of energy deprivation. It examines how life dissatisfaction, food insecurity, and energy subsidies interact with gender and disability to influence energy poverty. The study addresses the gap in literature regarding intersectionality of gender, disability and energy poverty, the mediating mechanisms, and the effectiveness of energy interventions.

The intersectionality theory emphasizes that analyzing gender or disability in isolation is insufficient for understanding energy poverty. It highlights how multiple intersecting marginalized identities create unique experiences of oppression. Existing literature on gender and energy shows women's disproportionate reliance on unclean fuels for cooking, leading to health problems. Studies on energy poverty and disability demonstrate higher energy poverty rates among individuals with disabilities due to high energy costs and low income. However, studies on intersectionality of gender, disability and energy are scant, warranting this investigation.

This study uses data from the South Africa General Household Survey (GHS), a nationally representative survey containing information on household energy usage, demographics, and socio-economic factors. The researchers utilized a multidimensional energy poverty index (MEPI) to capture the multifaceted nature of energy poverty, incorporating dimensions such as electricity access, cooking fuel, and end-use energy services. The study employed fractional regression to analyze the relationship between the gender-disability intersection and energy poverty, controlling for variables like income, education, marital status, household size, age, wealth, and location. Robustness checks were conducted using propensity score matching (PSM) with nearest neighbor and propensity matching methods, and the Lewbel two-stage least squares (2SLS) method. A mediation analysis, using Baron and Kenny's two-step approach and the Sobel test, explored the roles of life dissatisfaction and food insecurity as mediating variables. A moderation analysis examined the effect of the free basic electricity (FBE) subsidy on energy poverty among females with disabilities. The study also conducted robustness checks using logistic, beta, Poisson, and ordered logistic regressions.

The baseline fractional regression results revealed that while females were less likely to experience energy poverty than males, the intersection of female and disability significantly increased the likelihood of energy poverty by 3.9%. Robustness checks using PSM and Lewbel 2SLS confirmed this finding. The effect size ranged from 1.6% to 2.6% depending on the method employed. Further robustness checks using Logit, Beta regression, Poisson, and ordered logistic models indicated a positive and significant relationship between the intersection of gender and disability and energy poverty, with effect sizes ranging from 2.9% to 13.6%. The mediation analysis showed that life dissatisfaction and food insecurity significantly mediated the relationship between the female-disability intersection and energy poverty, explaining 19% and 15% of the effect respectively. The moderation analysis demonstrated that the FBE subsidy reduced energy poverty, but this effect was significantly stronger for females with disabilities, reducing their energy poverty likelihood by 10.4%.

The findings confirm the importance of considering intersectionality in understanding energy poverty. The significant increase in energy poverty risk among females with disabilities highlights the compounding effects of gender and disability-based discrimination. The mediating roles of life dissatisfaction and food insecurity point to the need for interventions that address broader socio-economic factors. The strong moderating effect of the FBE subsidy for females with disabilities underscores the effectiveness of targeted energy assistance programs. The study's results in South Africa provide valuable insights for policymakers in other developing countries with similar challenges.

This study provides compelling evidence of the heightened energy poverty risk among females with disabilities in South Africa. It emphasizes the need for intersectional approaches in policy-making, advocating for targeted energy subsidies, and broader initiatives that address life satisfaction and food security. Future research should explore other potential mediating factors and expand the geographical scope of the study.

The study relies on cross-sectional data, which limits the ability to establish causal relationships definitively. The study is limited to South Africa; thus, the findings may not be generalizable to other contexts. The study did not consider other factors that might contribute to energy poverty like access to information or employment opportunities due to data limitations.