The Value of Rural Women's Labour in Production and Wood Fuel Use: A Framework for Analysis

How do gender-related factors influence cooking fuel use? Why does an LPG capital subsidy lead to fuel stacking rather than fuel switching? The insights gained from authors' research are supplemented by case studies, specifically aimed at exploring the connections between women's labour time and fuel use. Using these observations and case studies, an analytical framework is developed, which yields propositions that can be tested empirically, such as the high value of women's labour in production leading to the adoption of labour-saving cooking fuel and vice versa. This framework is used to assess the limitations of capital subsidies for LPG in remote rural areas where women's labour has a low opportunity cost.