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Study on Gender Balance in the R&I Field to Improve the Role of Women in the Energy Transition
BACKGROUND
The energy transition to clean and affordable technologies is one of the greatest transformation tasks of our time. Yet women have been significantly underrepresented in the energy sector up to now. The absolute share among employees is low and women rarely have responsibility or decision-making power. In the transformation to a sustainable energy economy, care must be taken to ensure that the gender inequalities inscribed in coal and nuclear power are not perpetuated in wind and solar. In the context of the increasing shortage of skilled workers, the energy sector is under pressure to become more attractive to female employees to fill vacancies due to the existing gender imbalance. For a fair and successful energy transition in Europe, it is therefore necessary to ensure greater gender equality.
AIM
With the right interventions from politics, industry and the education system, the role of women in the energy sector and in the energy transition can be strengthened. However, this first requires a systematic understanding of the current situation as well as the expected future. Where are the challenges for equality in the companies concerned? Where are the opportunities for more female graduates in the relevant subjects? And how can a gender-equitable energy transition succeed within the EU?
The study was commissioned by the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) and is intended to support the European Commission with recommendations for action to strengthen the role of women in the energy transition.
PROCEDURE
As part of a comprehensive research program, the first step is to collect reliable primary data on gender equality-related issues in the sectors affected. The key source for data collection will be surveys of companies in the energy sector in 35 countries. Reliable evidence of gender imbalances will then be derived from primary and available secondary data. These steps form the basis for a Forecast of the future development of the share of women in the sector until 2050.
This empirical basis is supplemented by CeRRI with a participatory Foresight. In close consultation with relevant stakeholders, normative scenarios are developed that show what a gender-equitable future in the European energy sector could look like and which measures could be used to achieve this. The final outcome of the project will be recommendations for action for successful and sustainable change, developed together with key experts and stakeholders.
FRAMEWORK DATA
The project will contribute to the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) to support research on gender equity in the energy sector.
PROJECT CONSORTIUM
Project Coordination: Empirica - https://www.empirica-institut.de/
DIW Econ - https://diw-econ.de/
Portia - https://portia.thueringen.de/
ÖGUT - https://www.oegut.at/en/
DAUER
11/2022 – 11/2023