Report on the position of women in Iceland’s energy sector highlights continued work needed
Report screenshot
Alexander Richter
25 Sep 2019
In its annual report on Gender Diversity in the Icelandic energy sector, the country's Konur í orkumálum group shares details about the current status, shows details on improvement, but also the continuing work needed.
The Icelandic group of Women in Icelandic Energy has released the English version of its annual report on “Gender Diversity in the Icelandic Energy Sector”.
In the introduction for the report, Harpa Thorunn Petursdottir shared the following:
Since its foundation, Women in Energy has attracted a lot of attention for both its work and projects alike. The views and issues that the association upholds have been well received and sparked meaningful debate. We believe that the numerous individuals who have contributed to the association agree and together we can make a positive impact. We are grateful for the strong cooperative spirit that we have been met with.
Reports such as this one plays a vital role in providing signals to the energy sector
As a second report has now been published on the status of women in utilities, it is worth looking at how things have developed over the past two years. The previous report included guidelines for decision makers in the sector, as it was quite clear that a major effort was needed toward balancing gender diversity. The energy sector has responded well and we are already seeing results.
I hope this report will encourage energy firms even further in doing their utmost to improve gender representation at all levels. It is positive to see that the ratio contained in the report has increased but we must aim even higher and thus there is considerable work ahead.
The benefits of increased diversity are more than increased equality
Numerous studies have demonstrated that increased diversity does not only lead to increased equality but also better decision-making, improved management, greater innovation, and increased financial return for companies.
We celebrate positive changes … but there’s still a long way to go
The main objective of these reports is to shed light on the position of women in the Icelandic energy sector at any given time, to follow up on the results, and try to have a positive impact on developments from year to year.
We hope that the results will be taken seriously and that as many as possible will contribute to bringing us closer to the common goal. The report shows a very positive development in a short period of time and we can, therefore, expect even more progress in the future. Let’s continue on this voyage together until we’ve reached our destination!
The report provides a great insight into the role of women in the energy sector and related companies in Iceland, looking at:
- Women’s status in energy companies
- Women’s job satisfaction within Icelandic energy companies
- Iceland in conmparision
- Increased equity, increased revenue
- Other companies related to the energy sector
- Taking action
The report focuses on the status of women within Icelandic energy companies, and therefore the statistical sample was defined as every energy producer and distributor in Iceland. The sample was comprised of Samorka’s 12 largest companies which can be seen in the table here below. Details on other companies related can be found in the report as well.
The report provides further details and answers on a survey among women in the sector and the following look at what could improve the position of women in the energy sector.
Methodology: The methods used in the report are based on EY’s international methodology for evaluating the gender balance in decision-making power within companies.
It is a fine report that shows there is still lots to do to provide equal opportunities to women in the energy sector in Iceland and beyond in companies related to the sector.
Unfortunately I cannot embed the document, but you can read it here.
Source: Konur í Orkumálum
