Gender in sustainability transition studies: Concepts, blind spots and future orientations

Gender is a vital factor of societal organisation and transformation, and figures prominently in global sustainability agendas. Its social construction and interaction with technological change have been studied extensively. Within the field of sustainability transition (ST) research, however, the complex roles gender plays in socio-technical change are still rarely addressed or conceptualised. Based on a systematic review covering scientific publications from 2010 to 2020 we illustrate this overall gap and explore how gender is operationalised. We draw on Harding's notion of gender as structural, symbolic and behavioural expression to consider implications for understanding regimes, niches, and regime/niche interactions. Our results recognise a variety of conceptual approaches accounting for the diverse implications of gender relations for transition dynamics and their sustainability orientation. In conclusion we recognise the usefulness of the suggested analytical lens for strengthening gender-sensitive inter- and transdisciplinary ST research systematically, and suggest promising avenues for future studies.