We Need More Women in Science and Leadership

The author contends that the energy transition requires a more diverse workforce, noting that women are significantly underrepresented in STEM and senior leadership roles compared to the general workforce. The text highlights the economic benefits of gender diversity, citing higher returns on equity for companies with women in management, and emphasizes the role of mentorship programs like the WIRE Network in dismantling barriers for women in the Global South. It concludes that increasing female leadership is essential for driving investment in renewable energy and meeting 2030 climate deadlines.

• Women are significantly underrepresented in the energy sector compared to the global workforce; the energy sector has 76 percent fewer women than men, while the total global workforce gender gap is approximately 8 percent.
• Gender gaps are particularly acute in technical and leadership roles: women hold only 28 percent of STEM positions in the renewable energy sub-sector and 14 percent of senior leadership roles in the power sector.
• Gender diversity in management correlates with better financial performance; S&P 500 companies with above-median women representation on management teams see a 30 percent higher return on equity, and a 15 percent higher return when women are represented on boards.
• The WIRE Network, part of RMI's Energy Transition Academy, supports over 600 women energy professionals from the Global South through mentorship and technical capacity building, currently focusing on the Caribbean with plans to expand to Africa and the Pacific.
• Research indicates that women are more likely than men to support renewable energy investments and make climate-positive decisions to reduce emissions, and corporate boards with more women are more likely to proactively invest in renewables.

APA

Bodley, C. (2023). We Need More Women in Science and Leadership. RMI. https://rmi.org/resources/more-women-in-science-and-leadership-for-an-equitable-clean-energy-workforce/

Chicago

Bodley, Charlin. We Need More Women in Science and Leadership. RMI, 2023. https://rmi.org/resources/more-women-in-science-and-leadership-for-an-equitable-clean-energy-workforce/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Bodley |first1=Charlin |title=We Need More Women in Science and Leadership |publisher=RMI |date=9 February 2023 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/more-women-in-science-and-leadership-for-an-equitable-clean-energy-workforce/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{bodley2023need, author = {Bodley, Charlin}, title = {{We Need More Women in Science and Leadership}}, publisher = {RMI}, year = {2023}, month = feb, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/more-women-in-science-and-leadership-for-an-equitable-clean-energy-workforce/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }