Women in Energy: How to promote gender equity in the energy sector?
During the past month, many channels and outlets took International Women’s Day as an opportunity to recognise the achievements of women and to critically analyse the status of gender equity, also in the energy sector. Scientific research across the board has repeatedly shown that a diverse workforce is an innovative workforce, and that organisations with high representation of women in leadership positions perform better.
🎙️ Flexibility fuels ambition – A conversation with Barbara Lempp
To gain some insights, we shine a spotlight on Barbara Maria Lempp , who is the organiser of the Berlin Women Energy Network. Not only is she close to the challenges faced by the women of #FNEFrauennetzwerkEnergie, but as a woman who has worked in the energy sector for more than 15 years, she has lived the evolution towards gender equity first hand. And she clearly speaks out where more work needs to be done.
You were one of the first members of the Berlin Women Energy Network. How and why was the network founded in 2011?
Annika Brack and Marie-Christine von Hahn , the founders of the network, contacted me as they wished for an equivalent to the Brussels Women Energy Club, but located in Berlin. The whole idea was based on the realisation that industry events were dominated by a male audience. We as women in the energy industry knew that we were highly professional, however, we remained nearly invisible, especially in the context of events. This created frustration among us, and we decided to unite in order to become more visible.
Initially, the network is conceived as a monthly informal round table discussion. Participants observe that during these meetings they discuss more openly than in the presence of men. Although highly qualified, many women fear that their views or questions could be seen as uninformed or irrelevant. The Berlin Women Energy Network is a committee of experts. We meet to discuss energy related issues only and this is a conscious choice. As the network grew, the types of events we organise evolved. Today, we are a group of over 400 members, open to more women to join.
What has changed since 2011 and what do you perceive as the most profound evolution with regards to gender equity in recent years?
When I first started working in the energy sector in the early 2000s, the proportion of women in the company I joined was 17% - shockingly low. A lot has happened since then. Not only do more and more women work in energy, they also hold more management positions. Furthermore, as more women are climbing the career ladder, the landscape of debates and events has evolved: more senior women speak, discuss and animate debates. However, Covid restrictions have led to a major step backwards: Online meetings became predominantly male again, as women resumed a more traditional role at home. It is important that we quickly recover from this setback.
What concrete actions can drive forward gender equity in organisations?
Reaching gender equity is a joint effort and men act as allies to this cause. For all types of events, internal or external, there should be a balance of genders for the people on stage. The information is out there, there are expert lists with names of women and their respective fields of expertise. Today, it is not acceptable anymore to organise events with a blatant gender imbalance.
Another topic that concerns organisations in particular is work life flexibility. There are many types of models that work well but aren’t necessarily well established across companies. For instance, certain organisations offer the possibility to share roles. Key positions such as head of department are filled by more than one person, to better accommodate professional and private life. This helps to overcome the fallacy of the broken rung: We have many well trained female candidates in junior roles, but along the way there are fewer and fewer women on the higher rungs. We need to be open-minded as to what a management position can look like and how it can be filled. Workplace flexibility fuels ambition and it is worth it. These life phases, where for instance childcare and family-time are most intense, are limited. However, it is unlimited what a talent can contribute to the success of an organisation.
What advice would you give women that newly join the energy sector?
Find a mentor. Do this as early as possible. You need a sparring partner for you, your thoughts and ideas, on all topics, in order to properly reflect on your decisions.
There is no “right time” to start a family. Just do it, if you want to do it. Everything is conceivable, and everything will work out because it simply has to.
Push yourself to be visible. If you feel shy or insecure during public events, set yourself a goal to speak into the microphone at least once during each Q&A session you attend. This pushes your own boundaries and creates visibility that everyone benefits from.
Remain professional, to the point of excess. In your daily work, but especially in the context of conflict. To achieve this, I believe it is important to keep professional and private relationships separate.
If you would like to join the Berlin Women Energy Network, just contact Barbara Maria Lempp directly on LinkedIn.
📈 Gender Equality Index – a tool to measure progress
While gender equality remains a multi-faceted topic, tools have been developed to provide a snapshot of the status quo and to support decision makers. The Gender Equality Index is a composite indicator used to measure gender equality in economic and social spheres for Member States in EU. According to the European Institute for Gender Equality, the Index for the EU has surpassed 70 points for the first time in 2023. The increase in the overall EU score is the highest year-on-year rise since the first edition of the Index in 2013.
In the same vein, the Gender Equality Index enables companies to evaluate, on a yearly basis, aspects related to professional gender equality. It is calculated over a total of 100 points, based on four key indicators:
At EPEX SPOT, we calculate our own score of the Gender Equality Index each year. In 2023, we have reached an overall result of 93/100, including all countries we have offices in.
📋 Practice what you preach - Gender Equality Agreement
EPEX SPOT has been committed for years to a company-wide gender equality approach. This is also reflected throughout the levels of the organisation, via an average gender ratio of 35% (F) to 65% (M). Furthermore, we strive to translate our convictions into tangible actions:
In addition, 2024 marks the ten year anniversary of our first Gender Equality agreement signed by EPEX SPOT and staff representatives.
For the latest edition of the Gender Equality Agreement, the HR team and staff representatives also developed a new action plan to be implemented on a broad scale by 2026. This action plan covers many areas, from remuneration and career path to working conditions and work-life balance.
👉For further reading: To get to know up close some #EPEXiennes that work with us, have a look at the EPEX SPOT LinkedIn profile.