How Women Can Break into the Water Industry

I embrace being a woman in a male-dominated industry. Some days are more challenging than others, but it is important to continue showing up and bringing my unique talent and perspective. I know it adds value to my company and industry.

As professionals, we cannot be afraid to stand strong on our approach to diversity at all levels of the business, from internships to leadership and water resource management roles and everything in between. Only then can we truly tackle the social, economic, and environmental issues facing the water industry.

But it’s easier said than done.

To ensure more women feel accepted in the water industry, we need to encourage, promote and support those interested in pursuing a career in this field. Here’s how I think we can make that happen.

Companies need to encourage networking among women, organizations and the industry to bring in new talent and fresh perspectives. It is essential to bring a woman’s perspective to infrastructure within the water industry. A World Bank evaluation of 122 projects found that water projects that included women were six to seven times more effective than those that did not.[1] Women often have a strong ability to think with “impact” in mind – we see how decisions affect the world holistically and approach solutions with a unique strategic outlook.

I would also encourage the men in the industry to ensure they are including their female colleagues. I’ve been to conferences where I feel like it’s difficult to break into the tight conversation circles with all men who seem to have known each other for decades.

Water risk is on the rise and at complete odds with GDP growth. The places impacted the most are in danger of the most scarcity. Breakthroughs in technology can minimize the increasing disparity, but we must unite every great mind to drive innovation. Women bring a new ingenuity to the table, previously underrepresented. We need to prioritize the recruitment and promotion of women into water leadership, technology and infrastructure planning roles. Like water resources, women are not being tapped to their full potential.

Promoting females in leadership roles improves outcomes by up to 30 percent; companies with three or more women on the board rated 73 percent higher in performance.[2] There’s a shortage of freshwater around the world and a shortage of women in leadership. Solving the resource problem is possible with technology today, but a lack of cognitive diversity stands in the way. Female representation is missing. By addressing this disparate representation of leadership in the water industry, viable solutions can be created that challenge, innovate and move us to solution faster – and with water scarcity on the rise, time is of the essence.

“We need to understand that if we all work on inclusion together, it’s going to be faster, broader, better, and more thorough than anything we can do on our own,” says Ellen Pao, Former Reddit CEO and Current CEO and Co-Founder of Project Include. And it’s true. This issue cannot be solved alone. We need to continue supporting women that want to break into the water industry by encouraging contact with mentors, helping to find their voice and just simply letting women “practice imperfection.” We can’t be so afraid of messing up – at work or, importantly, in our personal lives where expectations are so high for many women.

If companies continue to hire, mentor, and promote women, while ensuring equal pay for equal work, the gender gap will continue to close, benefiting both women and the companies they work for.

For my part, I’ve been participating in an emerging dialogue with a group of women from all over the world who want to help better advocate for women in water. I am also personally mentoring a young woman who is mapping her career in clean technology. Outside of that, I hope to serve as a role model for other professional women looking to get into the water industry.

Please share your own ideas and experiences so we can all benefit.

[1] An Evaluation of World Bank Support – Gender and Development

[2] MSCI Research – Women on Boards, Global Trends in Gender Diversity on Corporate Boards