Research demonstrates how men and women use energy differently, and traditional gender roles and physiology make women differently sensitive to energy efficiency. For example, migraine headaches affect three times more women than men, and women are more likely to be sensitive to glare from daylight and electric light. These experiences make women more sensitive lighting designers.
Women also have a better sense of volume and tend to be better at estimating material needs, which could result in less wastage and embodied carbon. Multiple studies in Europe, the UK, and China, reveal differences in energy consumption between genders, with men generally consuming 1.2-1.5 times more cooling energy than women. Studies also suggest a relationship between economic and educational empowerment of women and energy efficiency. Women are more likely to think about energy conservation and efficiency at a societal and generational level. Are women biologically wired to care about future generations?
Women architects have demonstrated an affinity to create spaces that respond to climate and culture. Often, they show flexibility, with designs bending to community needs over rigid styles and ideas.
Women think of architectural interventions as opportunities to create equitable spaces, in addition to fulfilling functional needs. But currently the building industry and building energy efficiency remain largely male dominated. In India, only 20% of practicing architects are women, only 13% of civil engineers are women, and only 2% of the executives in the construction industry are women.
We need increasing representation of women in these professions to create spaces that are better designed for women for climate adaptation, and an overall increase in energy efficiency and decarbonisation. This is crucial as we try to meet our ambitious targets of reducing carbon intensity by 45% by 2030, and increasing renewable energy capacity, and building climate resilient cities.
The gender biases ingrained in building design have far-reaching consequences, impacting energy efficiency and exacerbating climate change challenges.
As more women enter the building sciences, the potential for innovative, sustainable, and equitable designs increases, leading us towards a future where buildings are designed for everyone. It is through such efforts that we can build a resilient, kinder, and fairer world for generations to come.
Prasad Vaidya is Director, Solar Decathlon India and Senior Advisor, Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy, and Pooja Suresh Hollannavar is Communication Manager, Solar Decathlon India.