- In all science, technology, engineering, and mathematics degrees, the proportion of men is much higher than that of women.
- The electricity company develops training programs for women in these disciplines in the countries where it operates: Spain, the United States, Mexico, Brazil, and the United Kingdom.
Iberdrola is committed to promoting the presence of women in careers related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). For this reason, the electricity company develops initiatives in this regard in all the countries in which it has a presence. The aim is to advance towards real equality of opportunity. With these projects and plans, the company aims to be a reference point for girls who will be scientists, engineers, and researchers in the future.
The company believes that training women in professions historically carried out by men is essential for them to be able to work wherever they wish. The idea is that over time they will occupy positions of responsibility which, until now, have been occupied mainly by men.
Currently, less than 20% of digital professional profiles are women. Figures from the PISA Report show that, in Spain, while more than half of university students are women, less than 8% choose STEM-related degrees. A higher level of education leads to a higher probability of getting a job and, in all cases, the female employment rate is lower than the male rate. In all professional STEM studies, the proportion of men is higher than that of women.
Iberdrola develops training programs, forums, and educational initiatives in Spain, the United States, Mexico, Brazil, and the United Kingdom. In this way, we inspire other companies and our value chain to acknowledge the challenges faced by women in the science and technology fields and to undertake similar initiatives.
Through its Foundation in Spain, together with the Empresa Municipal de Transportes de Madrid (EMT) and the Universidad Pontifica Comillas, we launched the Women STEM Sustainability and Mobility Chair. The company seeks to promote women in STEM vocations in the field of professional training for sustainable mobility, where the female presence does not exceed 3.6%.
In the United States, through its foundation, Iberdrola supports the training of electricians through scholarships in the CMP Lineworker Technology Program to train specialists, prioritizing the inclusion in the energy sector of young women. In 2018, it created WomENergy, a business resource group (BRG) aimed at attracting, retaining, developing, and promoting female talent.
AVANGRID also sponsors Eureka! a five-year educational program aimed at girls from low-income families, minorities, and those who would be the first college students in their family – in partnership with Girls Inc. a program for young women interested in STEM careers. The goal is to involve 100 girls, 20 in each grade through their senior year of high school.
In Mexico, the Impulso STEM program, developed by Iberdrola Mexico together with the Instituto de Energías Renovables (IER) of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) and the Universidad Tecnológica de los Valles Centrales de Oaxaca (UTVCO), seeks to promote the study of engineering among Oaxacan youth, especially women.
In Brazil, Neoenergía has made a strong commitment recently: to promote the inclusion of young women in traditionally male sectors. For example, The School of Electricians, which in August 2019 saw the light of day, aiming to promote female insertion in this field; or the agreement where the Brazilian subsidiary became the first company to exclusively support the women’s soccer team in Brazil. The agreement is valid until 2025 and supports the national club competition, which is now called Brasileirão Femenino Neoenergia.
The UK subsidiary ScottishPower, for its part, is a member of POWERful Women, an initiative to advance gender diversity within the energy sector in the country. It also collaborates with the University of Forth Valley College to design an online program that provides schools with worksheets, explanatory videos, creative activities, and other training resources so that students can receive the best possible preparation in STEM subjects. More than 50 Scottish schools are promoting STEM education thanks to this program.
The whole society, from administrations to civil society and business is committed to the Sustainable Development Goals set out in the 2030 Agenda.
