Time to close the gender gap in clean energy

GUEST POST WRITTEN BY C3E:

?C3E International - International Women’s Day

March 8th marks International Women’s Day, a day that global communities acknowledge and celebrate women for their contributions and take time to reflect on the state of gender equality. On this day, we would like to spotlight the energy sector, which has historically been heavily male-dominated.

Despite the last decade’s progress, the energy sector still remains one of the most gender imbalanced industries – making it difficult for most women to start and/or retain their careers. This is while the energy sector, and certain sub-sectors, struggle with finding innovative ideas and the skills needed. A McKinsey study on businesses proves that diversity increases productivity and favorable outcomes. Within the energy sector, advancing gender diversity and equality is valuable for achieving a just energy transition and making this sector more appealing to a broader group of talents – contributing to the solution.

A 2021 report by Equal by 30 shows that women’s participation in the global energy workforce is only at 32%. While women make up 39% of roles at the entry-level, they represent just 26% of all executives and C-Suite leaders. Additionally, an OECD/IEA analysis suggests that under 14% of senior managers in the energy-related industry are women, with the utility sector as the forerunner. In comparison with 15,5% representation in companies of comparable sectors, it is evident that governments, as well as the public and private energy sector, need further support in addressing gender barriers within this sector.

The Clean Energy Education and Empowerment International Initiative (C3E International) emerged with the mission to advance clean energy transitions through advancing women’s participation in the energy sector and closing the gender gap. C3E International’s objectives include but are not limited to creating opportunities for women in clean energy, recognizing, building, and promoting a community of female leaders in the field, sharing best practices for effective strategies, improving knowledge, and raising awareness and ambition within public and private organizations.

Working jointly under the?International Energy Agency (IEA)?and the?Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM), C3E International has grown steadily since June 2017 – working closely with its 12 member countries. Additionally, the Initiative has organized and co-organized 13 high-level, international, and national awareness-raising events (i.e., CEM10/MI-4: Vancouver C3E Breakfast, CEM11/MI-5: Saudi Arabia, CEM12/MI-6: Chile, and the Austrian Energy Breakfast event series).

C3E International’s work is divided into five workstreams: Knowledge and Data Collection, C3E International Ambassadors Program and Mentorship, C3E Awards Program, C3E Communications, and Equal by 30 (Campaign). The activities and accomplishments of the workstreams, ranging from quantitative and qualitative assessments of gender equality in the energy sector and energy policies to empowering and increasing the representation of women in the energy sector, have successfully fulfilled C3E International’s objectives – preparing the Initiative for levelling up its goals and ambitions for the upcoming term. While C3E International will continue its work, accelerating gender equality, gender mainstreaming in policy-making, supporting the advancement of female leaders of all ages in their clean energy careers, and reducing barriers for women in the energy workforce are put at the heart of its new objectives. In order to reflect this refreshed vision, and increase brand recognition, C3E International will be changing its name to the “Equality in Energy Transitions Initiative.” We encourage you to stay up to date on all announcements highlighting key decisions and future activities, by following the initiative on LinkedIn and Twitter.

How diverse is your sector or company? Comment below ??