Societal differences, activities, and performance: Examining the role of gender in electricity demand in the United Kingdom

Women are widely believed to be responsible for much of household electricity consumption. Gendered working patterns and division of household chores are persistent in Western societies, with women performing many of the activities associated with electricity demand, such as cooking and laundering. This has led to the assumption that women use more electricity than men and that they should be specifically targeted in programmes on load reduction or demand response. This paper presents data on household electricity use patters which challenge these assumptions. Activity diaries with simultaneous electricity recordings show women do indeed report more household chores, but the electricity consumption observed during their performance is lower than for men in many cases. We show how men and women differ in the performance of activities and how the combination of activities can explain some of the differences in their electricity intensity. The timing of activities also differs between genders, with women less likely to use washing machines during peak demand periods.