| Lessons learned
Key recommendations The first step in addressing gender inequality in the
hydropower sector is for stakeholders (governments, academia, utilities, companies, and civil society) to acknowledge that it exists. The second step is to investigate it and the third is to undertake gender mainstreaming – a mechanism for gender to be systematically assessed and integrated into corporate decisions and processes. As the study illustrates, equality in the hydropower
sector will depend upon equity in skill building (ie gender-responsive teaching and facilities) and in the implementation of hydropower projects. This could be achieved by considering family unity, ensuring that remote field work maintains safety standards for women, ensuring continuous education and awareness among staff of a respectful working environment, along with the presence of female role models in industry and academia. The report goes on to propose key
recommendations to address the gender gaps and barriers that persist. Among these include removing barriers to education that constrain the number of women who pursue STEM degrees. The fact that women are still a minority in such programmes remains a major barrier to equality in the sector, while also making it difficult for hydropower companies to recruit more women if too few are graduating with the required degrees. Creating welcoming and gender-inclusive teaching
environments, while normalising women studying STEM subjects, are vital factors if the number of qualified women entering the hydropower sector is to increase. Women and girls must also have access to information and have a heightened awareness of their own potential in the sector, while female teachers need to be hired with greater awareness and promotion of hydropower as an appealing career for women. In addition, engaging with young people is also described as being critical. The report also discusses that decision-makers within the hydro industry should ensure that women in the sector are the leaders of change. Mentoring is an effective and increasingly popular mechanism through which to promote women’s professional development, by helping them build important soft and hard skills, expand their networks, interact with role models, find acceptance and affirmation, and ultimately achieve career success as leaders in the sector.
It is also important to keep in mind that female colleagues in hydropower are in the best position to lead progress toward gender equality and diversity. Existing female professionals in the sector are able to identify the gaps, design solutions and educate the sector about the importance of equity and equality: in particular, the short-term and long-term benefits for the company, employees and the community. As the report states: “Each hydropower company (but also related STEM programmes at the universities) can benefit from the potential currently latent within their workforce, create opportunities for them to guide the change, and at the same time inspire more women to join the workforce in hydropower.” More men also need to be included in gender inequality discussions, and encouraged to be proactive in reducing the gap.
“The results have shown once again that it is imperative for men to act as allies and to form part of the solution to achieve gender equality in hydropower,” the report says. “Since men continue disproportionately to influence workplace environments, their recognition of gender biases and their leadership in promoting gender equality can have a powerful impact. It is important for the industry and stakeholders to acknowledge that gender gaps exist, gather necessary data, implement concrete measures, evaluate their effectiveness, and share evidence regarding what works.”
An important step Ultimately the ESMAP report is described as being
a baseline study and “and an important step on the long road to gender parity”. It does not aim to be “exhaustively comprehensive” but reflects perceptions and observations, and further work could establish objective realities of the sector based on comprehensive data collection from human resources departments of hydropower industry players. Follow- up studies are recommended in order to track progress and dig deeper into some of the key themes that have been identified. Many women interviewed during the study
expressed great enthusiasm for their work and this study highlights the opportunity for the hydropower sector to reassert its position in the global energy transition and become a gender equality frontrunner. As the report states: “The 2020s present a massive opportunity for the hydropower sector not only to assert its position as a driver of the energy transition but also to shake off its image as an old, traditional, male-dominated sector and spark the imaginations of environmentally conscious current and future generations. It has the opportunity to become a frontrunner in gender equality by telling the stories of the women working within it, encouraging them to share with the wider world their adventures, their enthusiasm, and their pride as hydropower ambassadors. Many actors can participate in the promotion of hydropower as an attractive sector for women to pursue careers in; first and foremost, among these actors is the hydropower industry itself.”
Above: Normalising girls studying STEM subjects is vital if the number of qualified women entering the hydropower sector is to increase
References
Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP). 2023. Power with Full Force: Getting to Gender Equality in the Hydropower Sector. © Washington, DC: World Bank.
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/ 40528
License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.
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