WOMEN AGENTS OF CHANGE IN ENERGY TRANSITION ERA

BY AMIRA SAYYED

The entire energy industry is on a journey of change, switching towards clean energy in hopes of curbing the severe impacts of climate change. The global drive for energy transition has revived hopes for creating more opportunities for women, leaving no one behind. In the meantime, there is still a gender gap in the energy sector’s workforce, a matter that requires more effort to narrow the gap.

From an economic perspective, closing such a gender gap is part and parcel of economic development, casting a positive shadow over the total Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

According to official figures, the number of people employed in the sector will grow by more than 30 million over the next 30 years thanks to the energy transition. Consequently, women are to benefit from new job opportunities and find new sources of income. It is also worth mentioning that access to clean energy is to help improve the quality of women’s lives in numerous ways.

In 2022, the World Bank conducted an assessment study dubbed “Toward More and Better Jobs for Women in Energy”, revealing that in many MENA countries, women represent less than 10% of the energy workforce and an average of 5% in technical fields or management.

In the meantime, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) pointed out that the exclusion of women comes at a cost to the overall economy. The IMF also highlighted the great economic potential of handling gender gaps, a matter that may add up to over 20% of the region’s Gross Domestic Product. numerous studies stressed that companies with genderdiverse boards are more productive and more profitable.