Zimbabwe’s 2019 renewable energy policy envisions a transition to green energy in which women and men participate equally and benefit equitably. But the real test of this promise lies in whether women and men have equal access to renewable energy and are able to use it for the tasks they most need to accomplish in their everyday lives.As an energy justice researcher, I wanted to find out how residents, government officials and energy non-governmental organisations view gender (in)equality in the move to green energy. I chose to interview people from Zingondi (a rural area in the Manicaland province of Zimbabwe) because this area offers a clear case of how renewable energy policy plays out in low-income, rural areas that are not connected to the national grid. Read more: Green energy doesn’t benefit everyone: ubuntu ideas can help include more people I asked the people I interviewed what a truly equal and equitable energy policy would look like in practice. By equal, I mean giving women and men the same opportunities and access to energy. By equitable, I mean recognising that they often start from unequal social and economic positions, and that women may therefore need additional support (funds, training, or extra decision-making powers) to reach the same level of energy access and benefit as men.There are about 39 households living in Zingondi. They are not connected to the national electricity grid. To cook, they use fuelwood and what’s left after crops are harvested (biomass). Many families live in thatched mud houses. When I visited, I saw that all families used solar lanterns. Some also had solar panels to charge phones and radios. My research found that having such limited access to electricity did nothing to change traditional gender roles where women do a lot more unpaid work around the house than men. For example, women remained primarily responsible for cooking on fire. They also had very little control over new forms of solar energy (what to buy and how to fix it if it broke) as these decisions and actions were controlled by the men in the families. Overall, women saw little change in their economic or decision-making power even though clean forms of energy had come into their lives. Read more: How socio-economic conditions shape renewable energy uptake in Zimbabwe My findings show that even new renewable energy is never neutral. It is shaped by power: who controls resources, who captures the benefits, and who remains excluded. Achieving gender equality in energy transitions needs more than introducing small solar devices or promising future grid access. Zimbabwe’s energy policies must move beyond promises of gender equality in energy access and deliver real transformation on the ground. The country’s renewable energy policy commits to gender equality and women’s participation, but pays less attention to whether this is taking place. If this change does not happen, new energy initiatives will simply prop up existing gender hierarchies which leave women at the bottom, rather than transforming women’s lives.Solar power in rural ZingondiZingondi is a resettlement area (where land was redistributed under the fast-track land reform programme to small-scale farmers) whose households have three hectares of land each. Most families there depend on small-scale farming to grow food. But they face problems of insecure land rights (they only have temporary licences to occupy the land), political disputes, and limited access to resources to develop their farms. Read more: Green energy for all: Zimbabwe will need a new social contract to roll out projects like solar power At first glance, the solar lanterns in every home, purchased by the residents, indicate that universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy is being achieved. But when I asked women how solar energy had improved their lives, their responses were cautious. First, many women were still cooking with firewood, because small solar devices can’t power electric stoves. One female participant observed:When I am cooking using semi-dried wood, no one can even enter the kitchen because of the smoke. It is like a prison cell! Second, they had little decision-making power over energy: Solar gives men more power to control us in the home … if it’s not the money to buy the gadgets, such as solar lanterns, it’s how to use them, or it’s about when and where to buy a replacement.Third, the quality of solar lanterns varied. Families that received remittances from relatives working in South Africa were able to afford higher-quality appliances. But poorer households could not. Cheap solar lanterns often overheated and “blew” after a short time. Paying for replacements placed financial strain on many women. Fourth, having light at night made the working day for these rural women even longer:Having a light bulb (solar lantern) means more work to cover, not to relax. The reason is: I am a woman!Women also reported that their husbands did not allow them to travel to renewable energy meetings where they could learn more about solar power. Some women hid small amounts of money from their husbands to avoid conflict or to retain some financial autonomy for buying electricity later – known in ChiShona as kusungirira mari muchiuno (“to tie money around the waist”). But because these savings were hidden, the women couldn’t spend them on larger or more reliable solar energy systems. What needs to happen nextZimbabwe’s energy transition must make sure that women are not just passive recipients of energy infrastructure but active participants in shaping how energy is accessed, used and managed. Women begin from unequal positions. So energy policies must tackle the question of the power relations that shape who controls resources within households and communities. Read more: Zambia’s forest communities need finance for solar power – so they don’t have to cut down trees to pay for it Zimbabwe’s energy policy emphasises women’s inclusion and solar entrepreneurship. However, its largely market-driven approach means that only women who can afford solar systems benefit, leaving off-grid and marginalised communities like Zingondi excluded. To make the policy truly transformative, the government could take these steps:introduce targeted subsidies, micro grants or low-interest loans for rural womensupport community-shared solar schemesset quotas for women in resettlement areas to participate in renewable energy schemes convene training in local areas where childcare is provided, so that women can participateset up mentorship programmes to strengthen women’s leadership and decision-makingimplement regular monitoring to ensure that women not only participate but also gain meaningful control over energy resources. This is happening in other countries. In rural Bangladesh, women have been trained as solar technicians, and in Nepal, women have taken on leading roles in managing tiny, micro hydro plants. Read more: Why renewable energy won’t end energy poverty in Zimbabwe In India, government‑linked schemes such as the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy’s Women in Renewable Energy initiative provide training and business support that expand women’s participation in the energy sector.Unless these changes are made, solar energy infrastructure will expand in rural Zimbabwe without expanding equality.Ellen Fungisai Chipango does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.