Menopause and energy poverty

Zhiming Cheng; Liwen Guo; Jun Gu; Rebecca Mitchell; Le Zhang

doi:10.1016/j.eneco.2026.109270

Menopause and energy poverty

Zhiming Cheng^*, Liwen Guo, Jun Gu, Rebecca Mitchell, Le Zhang

^*Corresponding author for this work

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Abstract

This study examines the relationship between menopause and women's susceptibility to energy poverty using panel data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. The results suggest that menopausal women are at a greater risk of experiencing energy poverty compared to their non-menopausal counterparts, with reduced personal income identified as a key mediator. Although cognitive function tends to decline among menopausal women, it does not appear to mediate the relationship between menopause and energy poverty. We also find that social participation, social support, social trust, and urban living conditions moderate the negative relationship between menopause and energy poverty. These findings contribute to our understanding of the gendered dimensions of energy poverty and highlight the need for targeted policies that address the specific energy needs and vulnerabilities of menopausal women. The results are robust to a series of sensitivity checks.

Original language	English
Article number	109270
Pages (from-to)	1-16
Number of pages	16
Journal	Energy Economics
Volume	157
Early online date	7 Mar 2026
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2026.109270
Publication status	Published - May 2026

Bibliographical note

© 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.

Keywords

Energy poverty
Menopause
Women

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10.1016/j.eneco.2026.109270Licence: CC BY

Publisher version (open access)Final published version, 1.35 MBLicence: CC BY

Cite this

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title = "Menopause and energy poverty",

abstract = "This study examines the relationship between menopause and women's susceptibility to energy poverty using panel data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. The results suggest that menopausal women are at a greater risk of experiencing energy poverty compared to their non-menopausal counterparts, with reduced personal income identified as a key mediator. Although cognitive function tends to decline among menopausal women, it does not appear to mediate the relationship between menopause and energy poverty. We also find that social participation, social support, social trust, and urban living conditions moderate the negative relationship between menopause and energy poverty. These findings contribute to our understanding of the gendered dimensions of energy poverty and highlight the need for targeted policies that address the specific energy needs and vulnerabilities of menopausal women. The results are robust to a series of sensitivity checks.",

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T1 - Menopause and energy poverty

AU - Cheng, Zhiming

AU - Guo, Liwen

AU - Gu, Jun

AU - Mitchell, Rebecca

AU - Zhang, Le

N1 - © 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.

PY - 2026/5

Y1 - 2026/5

N2 - This study examines the relationship between menopause and women's susceptibility to energy poverty using panel data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. The results suggest that menopausal women are at a greater risk of experiencing energy poverty compared to their non-menopausal counterparts, with reduced personal income identified as a key mediator. Although cognitive function tends to decline among menopausal women, it does not appear to mediate the relationship between menopause and energy poverty. We also find that social participation, social support, social trust, and urban living conditions moderate the negative relationship between menopause and energy poverty. These findings contribute to our understanding of the gendered dimensions of energy poverty and highlight the need for targeted policies that address the specific energy needs and vulnerabilities of menopausal women. The results are robust to a series of sensitivity checks.

AB - This study examines the relationship between menopause and women's susceptibility to energy poverty using panel data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. The results suggest that menopausal women are at a greater risk of experiencing energy poverty compared to their non-menopausal counterparts, with reduced personal income identified as a key mediator. Although cognitive function tends to decline among menopausal women, it does not appear to mediate the relationship between menopause and energy poverty. We also find that social participation, social support, social trust, and urban living conditions moderate the negative relationship between menopause and energy poverty. These findings contribute to our understanding of the gendered dimensions of energy poverty and highlight the need for targeted policies that address the specific energy needs and vulnerabilities of menopausal women. The results are robust to a series of sensitivity checks.

KW - Energy poverty

KW - Menopause

KW - Women

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105035640136

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DO - 10.1016/j.eneco.2026.109270

M3 - Article

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VL - 157

SP - 1

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JO - Energy Economics

JF - Energy Economics

M1 - 109270

ER -

Menopause and energy poverty

Abstract

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