Educational disparities also contribute to the gender gap in the energy sector. For example, only 25% of engineering students are females (Ahmad et al., 2019). However, females also comprise about 54% of science-major students (Ahmad et al., 2019). This is a direct implication of gender stereotyping on the selection of majors in Lebanese university students (Abou Chedid & Nasser, 2019). Some of the factors incoming university students take into consideration are distance and financial ability; however, many females also consider gender a key factor in making their academic decision (Abou Chedid & Nasser, 2019). By taking gender into consideration, women try to consider discrimination, sexual harassment, and societal pressures (Mozahem et al., 2019). Women tend to partake in “feminine” disciplines to conform to gender norms, and engineering disciplines are considered “masculine” (Abou Chedid & Nasser, 2019). Moreover, since women in Lebanon view employment as an option, their concerns also include home responsibilities, as that is considered one of their main roles (Elzir Assy & Sayed, 2018). Discrimination also comes into play when women are considering a job; for instance, engineering workplaces are considered hostile to women and they, therefore, tend to stray away from the field (Mozahem et al., 2019).
In addition to the gender imbalance in university students studying engineering in Lebanon, women also face different challenges before employment in the energy sector (Ahmad et al., 2019). While many of the challenges affect all women worldwide equally, Lebanon’s transportation systems, or lack thereof, and the energy sector’s negative reputation are among the most important obstacles women entering the energy sector must face (Ahmad et al., 2019). These factors contribute to the larger presence of females in more stable fields, such as banking and education (Ahmad et al., 2019). The stability women seek in the workforce is also not guaranteed by the universities they enroll in since they do not provide them with information on what to expect during employment, and they also cannot get this information from females in the industry due to their scarcity (Ahmad et al., 2019). This prompts anxiety in many engineering females during their studies regarding their ability to assume an engineering role (Baytiyeh, 2013). An engineering role does come with technical challenges in and of itself; however, Lebanon’s laws and regulations make it even more difficult for a woman to assume such a role (Elzir Assy & Sayed, 2018). The Lebanese law does not require employers or the government to facilitate the woman’s or mother’s experience by providing childcare support, paternal leave, or part-time schedules (Elzir Assy & Sayed, 2018). Moreover, women are not protected from discrimination or harassment by law and are prohibited from working in certain sectors, including the energy industry (Elzir Assy & Sayed, 2018). In addition, a mother’s maternity leave is well below the recommended duration, and she is not guaranteed an equivalent position upon her return, which hinders her career growth (Elzir Assy & Sayed, 2018). However, the majority of Lebanese women choose an engineering profession based on interest, financial potential, and opportunity for career development (Baytiyeh, 2013); therefore, Lebanon’s laws render women unable to fulfill their objectives. The Lebanese law, however, is only a result of the culture, and vice versa.
The large imbalance between female and male engineering students both in public and private universities proves that (Baytiyeh, 2013). Parental and societal pressures are among the most influential factors in a woman’s academic and professional decisions (Mozahem et al., 2019).
Therefore, while women are globally implicitly convinced against joining the energy sector, Lebanese women are explicitly told not to by their parents (Mozahem et al., 2019), society, and even the law (Elzir Assy & Sayed, 2018). These issues need immediate attention, both for the women and for Lebanon’s economy. Many movements are already in place to ensure that the issue is dealt with immediately: interventions are gender-designed and include a gender-sensitive communications campaign, grant funds that encourage women to engage with the professional world, and a profiling system designed for women with dependents (Elzir Assy & Sayed, 2018). However, education is at the center of this issue and awareness should be raised among the Lebanese people to emphasize the importance of women in all sectors. Women should be afforded academic counselors who motivate them to enroll in energy sector majors, and they should be assisted in the job-hunting process (Ahmad et al., 2019).
More importantly, however, women need to see that being an engineer or an energy expert is possible for them if they choose to do that. They need examples, role models, and guides. One example of a Lebanese female in Lebanon’s energy sector is Jessica Obeid, who is an electrical engineer who made her way into the energy sector only to become an expert (Alterman, 2021). Nadia Moussouni is another Lebanese woman who founded “Energy 24”, which is an electricity storage company aiming at combatting the frequent power cuts (Schellen, 2020). Jessica and Nadia are only some of many women who have recently been shed light on due to their activism way before the crisis Lebanon is currently enduring. They, along with the several women who have made it in the sector, are the beacon of hope Lebanese girls need to enter the energy sector, defy the obstacles, and, hopefully, succeed.
References
Abou Chedid, K., & Nasser, R. (2019). The implications of gender stereotyping on the selection of majors among Lebanese University students. Hawliyat, 8, 25–38. https://doi.org/10.31377/haw.v8i0.327
Ahmad, A., Kantarjian, L., El Ghali, H., Maier, E., & Constant, S. (2019). Shedding light on female talent in Lebanon’s energy sector. https://doi.org/10.1596/31608
Alterman, J. (2021). Lebanon’s Energy Sector. other. Retrieved October 25, 2021, from https://www.csis.org/analysis/lebanons-energy-sector.
Baytiyeh, H. (2013). Are women engineers in Lebanon prepared for the challenges of an engineering profession?European Journal of Engineering Education, 38(4), 394–407. https://doi.org/10.1080/03043797.2013.780011
Elzir Assy, A., & Sayed, H. (2018). Why aren't more Lebanese women working? https://doi.org/10.1596/29852
Mozahem, N. A., Ghanem, C. M., Hamieh, F. K., & Shoujaa, R. E. (2019). Women in engineering: A qualitative investigation of the contextual support and barriers to their career choice. Women's Studies International Forum, 74, 127–136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wsif.2019.03.014
Schellen, T. (2020, February 7). Sharp minds: An end to power cuts. Executive Magazine. Retrieved October 25, 2021, from https://www.executive-magazine.com/business/sharp-minds-an-end-to-power-cuts.