Business Reporter: Three Steps to Diversity
Aramco challenges oil and gas companies to encourage women into the energy industry
LONDON, Sept. 16, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Humanity is dependent on energy, and in particular on oil and gas. Even as we enter the digital age, the fourth industrial revolution, the demand for energy is rising steadily.
Given global concerns about climate change, the energy industry is actively engaging with sustainability issues and has been at the forefront of developing carbon capture technologies and renewable energy sources.
However, in an article published in Business Reporter and the Telegraph, Ruby Halabi, corporate citizenship advisor for Aramco, argues that while the energy industry is engaging successfully with some areas of sustainability, it is failing in the area of diversity. Only 22% of its workforce is female (compared with 55% in education). And in the field, the proportion of women is as low as 10%. What can be done?
According to the Business Reporter article, Reem Al-Ghanim, the Head of Aramco's Women Development and Diversity division may have the answer. She advocates three steps to diversity.
First she says, it's necessary to focus on the pipeline, the importance of encouraging girls as young as 7 to study STEM.
Then there is the need to ensure women in work have the right experience. Aramco, for example, has programmes for women that focus on developmental opportunities at each level of their career, from entry level roles to leadership positions.
And finally there is the cultural question, the need to challenge preconceived notions about the role of women in society.
The Boston Consulting Group reports that greater gender diversity is associated with improved problem solving, greater creativity, and lower risk decision making. By focussing on pipeline, experience and cultural perceptions, the energy industry will one day be able to claim that gender equality is the norm.
To learn more about gender diversity and equality in the energy industry read the full article.
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