Synopsis Women in general relative to men face unequal hiring standards, unequal opportunities for training, unequal pay for equal work, unequal access to productive resources, segregation and concentration in female sectors and occupations, different physical and mental working conditions, unequal participation in economic decision making and unequal promotion prospects. These factors negatively affect women's social status and their position in society relative to men and consequently have an impact on gender inequalities in health. Poor people frequently lack access to affordable, reliable, safe and environmentally benign sources of energy. This hinders their efforts to move out of poverty and seriously constrains their ability to improve their living situations. People without modern energy services must spend more of their time and physical energy on survival and therefore have fewer opportunities to pursue educational and income generating activities.