12 Gender Justice in the Energy Transition Era …
383
not want to handle physical labour such as working in mines or on
pipelines. Such myths and hurdles must be dispensed with, as they are
experienced across the board globally.
In developed oil and gas civilizations like the USA, women represent a
paltry 38% of the workforce, but only 22% of the wage earners work in
the oil and gas sector.
40 Diversity decreases in senior positions whereby
at entry-level, women account for 17% of senior management positions.
Female chief executives make up only 1% of industry leadership.
41
Change is inevitable as the sector addresses the workforce deficiencies and acknowledges that the world is changing, as has been expressed
above, with the advent of the 4IR. Also, as the world focuses on the transition from fossil fuels to cleaner sources of energy, i.e. decarbonizing,
this would be facilitated by using wind, solar and other modern technologies. Companies that will succeed in upskilling will be those that
appreciate the advantages of having a diverse workforce. This realization
would see more women recruited into the industry.
The untapped female talent is rampant as it cuts across all regions and
types of establishments. Women in international oil and gas companies
account for 26% of the workforce while in national oil companies, the
number is 13%. In both oilfield services and equipment companies, the
number of women is up to 16%.
42
As experienced in the mining sector, women are most visible in the
business support functions at a corporate level such as in legal, human
resource and finance services. Even where women are employed in technical roles, they are likely to hold office jobs than purely technical and
field jobs.
43 Their representation on all job groups decreases over time,
as a result of the low numbers during recruitment at entry levels.
40 Ibid.
41 Katharina Rick and others, ‘Untapped Reserves: Promoting Gender Balance in Oil and Gas’,
https://www.bcg.com, 2020 accessed April 13, 2020.
42 See Yanosek, Ahmad, and Abramson (n 37).
43 Ibid.
383
not want to handle physical labour such as working in mines or on
pipelines. Such myths and hurdles must be dispensed with, as they are
experienced across the board globally.
In developed oil and gas civilizations like the USA, women represent a
paltry 38% of the workforce, but only 22% of the wage earners work in
the oil and gas sector.
40 Diversity decreases in senior positions whereby
at entry-level, women account for 17% of senior management positions.
Female chief executives make up only 1% of industry leadership.
41
Change is inevitable as the sector addresses the workforce deficiencies and acknowledges that the world is changing, as has been expressed
above, with the advent of the 4IR. Also, as the world focuses on the transition from fossil fuels to cleaner sources of energy, i.e. decarbonizing,
this would be facilitated by using wind, solar and other modern technologies. Companies that will succeed in upskilling will be those that
appreciate the advantages of having a diverse workforce. This realization
would see more women recruited into the industry.
The untapped female talent is rampant as it cuts across all regions and
types of establishments. Women in international oil and gas companies
account for 26% of the workforce while in national oil companies, the
number is 13%. In both oilfield services and equipment companies, the
number of women is up to 16%.
42
As experienced in the mining sector, women are most visible in the
business support functions at a corporate level such as in legal, human
resource and finance services. Even where women are employed in technical roles, they are likely to hold office jobs than purely technical and
field jobs.
43 Their representation on all job groups decreases over time,
as a result of the low numbers during recruitment at entry levels.
40 Ibid.
41 Katharina Rick and others, ‘Untapped Reserves: Promoting Gender Balance in Oil and Gas’,
https://www.bcg.com, 2020 accessed April 13, 2020.
42 See Yanosek, Ahmad, and Abramson (n 37).
43 Ibid.