Best practices for renewable energy companies to improve gender equity

Renewable energy companies can roll out 17 interventions to hire and retain more women

Context

Renewable energy companies have low gender equity in entry-levels today because of company and ecosystem-level challenges:

Managers are reluctant to hire women for roles involving heavy lifting, working at height (e.g., wind turbine erector), or equipment handling
Sites lack adequate women-friendly infrastructure (e.g., sanitation facilities, women-only rest areas, and safety provisions)
Leadership places limited priority on gender diversity

ITI courses relevant to technical roles have low female enrolment
Families do not permit women to work in field/ mobile roles or in remote locations due to safety concerns
Remote sites lack access to affordable and safe transport, particularly during late working hours

The renewable energy industry has a gender diversity of <10%, and companies can add more women in the following roles:

Unskilled construction, upkeep roles, and customer operations offer the highest potential to hire women with minimal investments. Most of these roles require only an 8th or 10th grade qualification, making them accessible to non-graduate women
Skilled roles offer limited potential due to higher entry barriers and lower workforce volumes

Renewable energy companies can follow a 3-phased approach to make their operations more gender equitable:

Prioritise and implement (1-6 months): Lay the foundation by prioritising lower entry-barrier roles, building inclusive hiring practices (e.g., community partnerships), and ensuring basic facilities (e.g., washrooms)
Invest and scale (6-12 months): Embed gender inclusion into day-to-day operations by sensitising managers on gender biases, setting diverse hiring guidelines for contractors, and investing in safety (e.g., SOS protocols) and grievance redressal systems
Innovate and lead (12-24 months): Sustain and scale progress by upskilling women workers, providing transportation support, incentivising contractors through preferential contracts, and sharing the business case for gender diversity

Key takeaways

Hiring more women in entry-level roles in renewable energy companies can:
Renewable energy companies have low gender equity in entry-levels today because of company and ecosystem-level challenges:
The renewable energy industry has a gender diversity of <10%, and companies can add more women in the following roles:
Renewable energy companies can follow a 3-phased approach to make their operations more gender equitable: