This is due to the social, and cultural stereotyping and its effect on early education stages, where girls are being less encouraged compared to guys to be involved or participate in activities that would build and widen their options in pursuing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) careers (IRENA, Renewable Energy). In addition, the constraints and challenges they face if they join the sector which later on create encounters in rising to leadership positions. One of the challenges would be the ability to operate and work in a male-dominated sector (IRENA, Renewable Energy). Moreover, the labor conditions are another encounter that women will have to face due to our societal adaptive thinking to “women’s traditional” role as caregivers combined with the lack of female role models and mentors in the sector. However, why are there such constraints on women in the energy sector if it was provenly shown that gender diversity in the workforce can generate innovation and open new pathways for technology development which impacts positively the business performance and investment. With job creation on the rise in the renewable energy sector, how can we encourage girls in taking the pathway to energy careers, and inspire girls to excel in such fields?
The gender imbalance in a workplace is an outcome of the educational pathways and recruitment procedures that till today remain male-oriented. Specifically, it was shown that the employment in the conventional energy industry is male-dominated. This existing evidence, proposes that women are more likely to get involved in renewable energy than in the conventional energy industry (Lucas et al. 2018). Moreover, energy in general is directly related and connected to technical subjects, which claims to attract more interest from boys and young men than from girls and young women starting from their early education years. In addition, a study done in 2017 by the World Petroleum Council in collaboration with Boston Consulting Group, placed women’s share in the worldwide oil and gas workforce at 22%, which indicated a much lower percentage than in the manufacturing, finance, health, social work, and education, in addition to being even lower than the average in the workforce as a whole. It should be noted that 27% of the entry-level jobs in the oil and gas sector which require a college degree are managed by women, adding to 25% in the midcareer level jobs, and 17% is their only share in both the senior and executive roles. Hence, leaving women with only one in a hundred chance of being a CEO in the sector (Rick et al.,2017). Likewise, it was found that only 22% of women have senior management roles in the electricity, water, and gas sector, providing them with half the share in the educational and social services sector (McCarthy, 2016). In the case of Lebanon, there are multiple universities that offer multiple energy-related degrees ranging from Bachelor’s, Masters and PhDs. Eight universities that offer the 15 energy-related degrees showed a decline in female enrolment in STEM at both private and public colleges (Ahmad et al., 2019). Partly this is due to the cultural, regional, and technological effects, but mainly it is because of the discrimination that is practiced in the work environment as a whole. This decline can be connected to the recruitment and selection process, the pay gap, and the training and development that is supposed to happen in the sector. Actions should be taken at the individual, organization, and economy as a whole to give a good impression and empower women to peruse such careers.
As a conclusion, given that women are underrepresented on company boards and certain managerial positions, in policy-making, and especially in energy-related fields, and given that the few women who do manage to get to top positions are often less-well connected with their peers than if it was a male colleague (IRENA, Renewable Energy), it is essential to understand the challenges and opportunities young women and girls experience in order to grip STEM subjects, and encourage them in joining the energy sector. A plan should be designed where strategies can be implemented in order to inspire and encourage women to not only join the energy sector, but also to remain in it.
References:
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
IRENA (2019), Renewable Energy. https://irena.org/-/media/Files/IRENA/Agency/Publication/2019/Jan/IRENA_Gender_perspective_2019.pdf
Lucas, H., S. Pinnington, and L. F. Cabeza (2018), Education and training gaps in the renewable energy sector, Solar Energy, Vol. 173, pp. 449-455
McCarthy, N. (2016), Which industries have the most women in senior management?, Forbes, 8 March, https://www.forbes.com/ sites/niallmccarthy/2016/03/08/which-industrieshave-themost-women-in-senior-management-infographic.
Rick, K., I. Martén, and U. Von Lonski (2017), Untapped Reserves: Promoting Gender Balance in Oil and Gas, World Petroleum Council and The Boston Consulting Group, 12 July,