GWEC joins Equal by 30 initiative to advance gender equality in the energy transition

oday, the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) announced its partnership with the Equal by 30 campaign, a joint initiative of the Clean Energy, Education and Empowerment Initiative (C3E), which works to advance the participation of women in the clean energy transition and close the gender gap, and the International Energy Agency (IEA).

Equal by 30 is a campaign for public and private sector commitments to work towards  equal pay, equal leadership and equal opportunities for women in the clean energy sector by 2030. There is more urgency than ever to align political, financial, economic and social resources to create a greener world in the next 10 years. Harnessing the skills and talent needed for this mission will require a more gender-equitable energy transition. 

As of today, 105 signatories, 12 association partners and 11 governments have joined the campaign. Equal by 30 is led and based at Natural Resources Canada, a division of the Government of Canada.

The Women in Wind 2019 participants meet with Marcy Grossman, Ambassador of Canada to the UAE, on the sidelines of the IRENA General Assembly in January 2020.

GWEC’s commitment to Equal by 30 also marks the conclusion of the 2019 edition of the Women in Wind Global Leadership Program, an initiative jointly run with the Global Women’s Network for the Energy Transition to increase gender diversity and inclusion in the wind energy industry.

As shown in a newly released report by IRENA and Women in Wind Global Leadership Program called “Wind energy: A gender perspective,” women make up only 21 per cent of the global wind energy workforce. This is on par with the share of women in the oil and gas industry (22 per cent), but below the share of women in the global renewables sector (32 per cent).

Women in wind energy perceive barriers to entry and advancement which range from gender pay gaps to cultural and social norms. Notably, only 8 per cent of senior management (owners or board members) in the wind sector were found to be women, according to the report.

As a partner of Women in Wind Global Leadership Program and Equal by 30, GWEC is proud to commit to creating positive change in the wind energy industry and fostering a sustainable future for all. It looks forward to working together with governments, industry and civil society to tackle the challenges of the energy transition with a diverse and inclusive clean energy workforce.

Find out more about the Equal by 30 initiative here