"Women don't ride bicycle[s], only men ride bicycles": Gender and justice in mobility transitions

Gendered experiences are only beginning to gain recognition in energy research. Little is yet known about gendered dynamics of energy systems change as they play out in situated practices, such as those relating to everyday mobility. This chapter explores the intersection of gender and justice in energy demand through a comparative analysis of historical energy practices in Ireland and The Gambia. Employing a gender-sensitive biographic-practice approach, it investigates the lived experiences of energy systems change among Irish and Gambian citizens to explore how energy-related practices evolve in tandem with socio-technical change. Using the exemplar of mobility practices, common and divergent themes relating to the evolution of gendered mobility careers and the socio-technical contexts shaping this process are explored. Findings reveal that, despite differences in development pathways in Ireland and The Gambia, similar processes of gendered inequities emerge. Across both contexts, power-laden and gendered forms of exclusion and dependence regarding the development of mobility-related capabilities transpire in the evolution of mobility meanings, competences and access to material resources. Differences concerning gendered mobility experiences suggest a need for gender-sensitive policy interventions. The chapter concludes by calling for greater consideration of gendered patterns of inclusion and exclusion in energy systems in efforts to achieve just energy transitions.