News

The energy sector has historically been a male-dominated field across all professional profiles and skill levels. As a consequence, and despite representing 48% of the global workforce, the presence of women in this sector, according to the International Energy Agency, is 22%, reaching 32% in renewable businesses.

Iberdrola, aware of this reality and that the presence of women in the energy industry is essential, develops and leads different initiatives that facilitate their integration into STEM positions (careers related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics) in the countries in which it operates. 

Specifically, the company develops initiatives in Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States, Mexico, Brazil and Australia, among other countries, establishing strategic alliances, supporting and giving visibility to other institutions committed to the inclusion of women.

The company aspires to generate an impact that goes beyond its organisation and that is sustainable over time, which is why, for years, it has been working on the implementation of practices, both internal and external, that seek to support women at key moments in their careers. 

Firstly, by awakening interest in STEM areas among girls and young women and then by supporting them in their training and integration into the labour market, as well as by accelerating the development of their female employees and giving visibility to leading professionals, which contribute to combating gender biases.

International momentum

Among the programmes carried out by the company are those designed to promote the development and give visibility to leading women. With the aim of creating and maintaining a diverse workforce, in alliance with local institutions where it is present, it promotes the study of STEM careers, especially for women, by offering scholarships and educational incentives, creating opportunities for access to the labour market.

In Spain, in addition to the different training projects for girls and young women, agreements with different entities, such as Innobasque (the Innovation Agency of the Basque Country) or alliances such as the one with the Ministry of Education, the Universidad Pontificia Comillas or the EMT, among others; this year, the Technovation Girls initiative has been added to the list. This is an innovation and entrepreneurship programme in which girls and teenagers work together with volunteer mentors to solve problems in their environment through the use of technology.

In the United States, the Avangrid Foundation, in collaboration with the Girls Inc. organisation, promotes the Eureka! programme, aimed at promoting intensive training and internships in companies related to STEM careers for young women from minority groups or in the first university students of their families for five years. Iberdrola in the United States also supports the Society of Women Engineers (SWE). In addition, in 2021, the company joined Paradigm for Parity, a coalition of organisations dedicated to addressing racial and gender gaps in business and achieving full gender parity by 2030.

In the United Kingdom, Iberdrola, through its subsidiary ScottishPower, is a member of POWERful Women, an initiative to advance gender diversity within the energy sector. In addition, the company also has a network of female employees called SP Connected Women, which provides a platform for its members to meet on a regular basis and share their experiences and ideas both internally and at external events.

In Mexico, Iberdrola has been holding the Women with Energy forum since 2018, a space for dialogue and training on diversity, equity and inclusion to promote initiatives to close the gender gap. In addition, in 2023, the company held its fourth call for its STEM scholarships, a programme carried out since 2019 in alliance with local institutions that seeks to promote the study of engineering among Oaxacan youth.

In Brazil, through Neoenergia, the company committed in 2023 to the United Nations (UN) Global Compact to increase by more than 30% the number of women and black people in leadership positions by 2025 in all its business units in the country. In addition, it also highlights the School of Electricians for Women, which aims to promote the insertion of women in positions in the electricity sector that are predominantly occupied by men. Since its launch in 2017, it has trained 850 women, of whom nearly 600 have been hired.  

In Australia, Iberdrola supported the Women in Energy Network (WIEN) sector association in 2022, which seeks to promote the advancement of women in the energy industry through networking, knowledge sharing and the generation of leadership opportunities.