Gender equality in the energy sector: analysis and empowerment

Abstract

This article is devoted to topical issues of gender equality in the energy sector. It is a retrospective analysis of the problem of gender equality over the past 50 years in various countries and sectors of the economy. The situation with the improvement of the gender balance in general is changing, but unevenly, which increases the relevance of attention to the gender factor in policy development, particularly in the energy sector. It has been established that in the energy sector, there remain so-called “glass walls” and “glass ceilings” for the development of women’s professional careers, which leads to horizontal and vertical segregation. The main barriers to gender balance in the energy sector are highlighted. The institutional conditions for ensuring gender equality in the energy sector have allowed for a more comprehensive view of the problem of gender occupational segregation. A number of institutional problems of gender equality in the energy sector are highlighted and characterized. These include: inconsistency of formal norms of gender equality and existing economic practices; lack of gender mainstreaming in energy policy making due to insufficient attention to social relations; the creation of additional tensions in industrial relations to ensure gender equality; unemployment of able-bodied women due to segregation in the labor market in the energy sector., Using a number of practical proposals for ensuring gender equality at the industrial and company levels, the authors propose a conceptual model of institutional support for gender equality in the energy sector. The implementation of these proposals would help eliminate gender imbalances in the energy sector and promote the development of energy companies on a sustainable basis.