Women’s Entrepreneurship Day: women leading the transformation of the energy sector
Nov 19, 2024
Committed
The energy sector currently has one of the largest gender gaps of any sectors in the global economy.
Only one in five positions in the energy sector is held by a woman, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). And this is not the only evidence of a significant gender gap in the energy sector, as studies show that women in the sector are paid almost 15% less than men for the same level of skills, creating a gender wage gap.
Only one in five positions in the energy sector is held by a woman
Similarly, statistics show that only 11% of the energy start-ups are founded by women, a much lower percentage than in other sectors.
Closing the gender gap is therefore a major challenge for the energy sector. This requires promoting the presence of women in all areas of the business, supporting their career advancement and development by attracting talent, and encouraging the presence of women in the so-called STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
In our country, the figures are slightly better, although there is still much to be done to close the gender gap in Spain. Women account for 33% of the workforce in companies in the energy sector, with an annual growth rate of 3% since 2019, according to the latest available data (2022) from the Observatory on the role of women in the energy sector, carried out by the Spanish Association of Women in Energy (Aemener). At this rate, the break-even point would not be reached until 2050.
In Spain, women account for 33% of the workforce in companies in the energy sector
Aemener notes that there is still a greater presence of women in public companies than in private companies, although the trend in recent years has been downwards in the public sector and upwards in the private sector.
Similarly, there is a lower presence of women in the workforces of companies specialising in technology or manufacturing products for the energy sector, and a higher presence of women in service companies.
Likewise, the study points out that the presence of women is more relevant in smaller companies (less than 20 employees), exceeding 50% in 2022.
On a positive note, the percentage of women in senior management positions has increased by 62% compared to 2010 data, reflecting the impact of good practices implemented by companies to promote gender equality in these roles.
Enagás is one of the five Spanish companies among the 100 best in the world in terms of gender equality. This is according to the Gender Equality Report & Ranking 2024, produced by Equileap, a company dedicated to promoting gender equality, diversity and inclusion in the corporate world. Enagás has held the Equality in the Company Distinction for gender equality since 2010 and the Bequal Seal since 2013, in recognition of its commitment to the social inclusion of people with disabilities.
Enagás is one of the five Spanish companies among the 100 best in the world in terms of gender equality
The company is also a world leader in the Utilities sector in the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index published in 2023, as it has a 40% representation of women in its Executive Committee, in line with the targets of the new Parity Law, one of the most equal compositions of the entire Ibex 35. Enagás also has six women on its Board of Directors, representing more than 40%.
Enagás aims to further increase the proportion of women, especially in positions in infrastructure operations. Enagás has an Equality Plan that provides a framework for action to promote effective equality, fairness, merit, personal development, work-life balance, and co-responsibility among all professionals.
It also has an Integral Management Plan, which includes more than 120 specific measures and actions to promote the balance between the different facets of people’s lives and support the work performance of its employees, including teleworking, a family support programme, a personalised flexible remuneration plan and flexible working hours.
This plan has made Enagás the first company in the energy sector to obtain the Empresa Excelente+ rating in the EFR label, awarded by the Másfamilia Foundation.
In October 2024, Enagás joined ClosinGap, an association dedicated to promoting equality in access to and promotion in the workplace and to researching gender gaps.
Through this collaboration, Enagás will support ClosinGap’s initiatives to promote economic growth through gender equality, in addition to conducting an analysis of the opportunity cost of the gender gap in the context of the Energy Transition, in line with the company’s Diversity and Inclusion Policy.