POWER June 2015 - 26

WORKFORCE
gathers such data, even by fuel or technology
breakout, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics (BLS) data is difficult to parse
for exactly these purposes. However, BLS
data for 2014 indicate that in the " Electrical
power generation, transmission, and distribution "
industry, women accounted for 23.3%
of all employees. Note that this accounts for
all job functions across the industry, from
power plant operators to line workers to office
workers.
Other estimates place women in the industry
at between 1% and 25%, depending on
the sector. Kristen Graf, executive director of
Women of Wind Energy, supplied POWER
with a June 2013 National Renewable Energy
Laboratory report ( " A National Skills Assessment
of the U.S. Wind Industry in 2012 " )
that found: " According to our survey, which
only captures a segment of the domestic wind
industry, women comprise approximately
20% of the known wind workforce. The variance
across occupations is large. Six occupations
of the 26 in our survey exhibited a
majority of women in their workforce. These
six included paralegals, admin/clerical, government
regulatory workers, operations and
maintenance accountants/bookkeepers, supply
chain/purchasing managers, and development
finance. The occupations with the
lowest female representation were assembly
workers, construction laborers, transportation/logistics
workers, and wind technicians,
each with less than 10%. One note of caution
in this section is that according to BW Research
staff, companies asked about numbers
of female employees tend to over-report the
number of women working in their company "
(emphasis added).
A 2013 job census by The Solar Foundation
found that 19% of all solar workers were
women.
I was unable to find numbers for the thermal
power sector, despite contacting major
industry groups.
Respondents to our 2015 survey (the largest
share of whom are working in the coal
sector) indicated that the percentage of women
in their plant or division was no more than
10%. (For full survey results, see " POWER's
2015 Women in Power Generation Survey "
in this issue.)
Many, often competing, theories have
been advanced to explain the under-representation
of women in STEM fields in general
and in the power industry in particular. There
are surely some women, as well as men, who
rule out this industry because many plants are
located in remote or sparsely populated areas.
Some people enjoy small town, rural life;
some don't. Others will rule out the thermal
generation sector of the industry because they
don't want to work in a sometimes noisy and
26
dirty environment. On the other hand, I've
talked with one woman in charge of a coal
yard who beamed when she spoke about her
job. Another cohort of workers and potential
employees will be interested in only specific
generation types-either for environmental
reasons or technology reasons. Someone
who is fundamentally opposed to fossil fuels
is unlikely to seek a job at a coal plant, while
someone who is fascinated by physics will
likely be drawn more to the nuclear or solar
sector than the others. Personal preferences
are neither right nor wrong; they just are.
Beyond personal preferences, the reasons
for a dearth of women in any given industry
are typically a mix of factors that cut across
industries and ones that are more industryspecific.
For example, an August 2014 Associated
Press story noted that the construction
industry is increasing its efforts to recruit
women. In addition to stereotypes about that
industry, the National Women's Law Center
found that " pervasive sexual harassment
of women at work sites " was another factor
responsible for low numbers of women in
construction.
Generally speaking, " Gender bias,
workplace exclusion, and a lack of support
structures are some of the factors contributing
to the lack of women working in
engineering and computing, " according to
a March 2015 report by the American Association
of University Women (you'll find
a link to that report in the " Resources for
Women in Power Generation " web supplement
associated with this issue in the archives
at powermag.com).
In the power industry, shift work may pose
an obstacle for some, whereas others may find
the work and schedules manageable but the
work environment less conducive to job satisfaction.
I have heard more than one woman in
the power industry comment that you have to
have a thick skin and a strong sense of humor
to survive the culture of power plants. Some
women may be willing to put up with everything
from snarky to sexist comments and attitudes;
some of those women may have little
choice because of where they live or want to
live. But others may decide that their energy
is better used where it is appreciated.
Some, after giving a particular plant or
company a try, may decide that the effort
and growing ever-thicker layers of skin just
isn't worth it. Women in that situation, when
they can, may decide to move to a different
segment of the industry or may leave with
their skills and talents to seek their fortunes
in completely different areas. (See the previously
mentioned survey article for more on
job satisfaction and career change plans.)
Even someone as clearly qualified as
the IMF's Lagarde has faced such decision
www.powermag.com
points. When starting out as a lawyer, she
interviewed at a high-profile French firm
that bluntly told her she'd never be more
than an associate-because she was a woman.
She rejected their offer. " And I just left
because I wasn't going to waste my time
with those people, " she said in the previously
mentioned interview. " And I went to
another firm which was great and which was
based on respect and on equal opportunity
for those who delivered. "
The Culture Challenge
How can power companies avoid that sort
of talent loss? No solution will be equally
successful everywhere, but one effort that is
never wasted is cultivating a workplace culture
that is conducive to professional success
for all workers-men and women, young and
old, military veterans and other career-shifters,
and promising employees from diverse
cultural and economic backgrounds.
Workplace culture is shaped by a combination
of leadership, written and unwritten
policy, and individual workers at any
given location. For example, does a company
CEO's attitude toward women in general and
women within the company demonstrate respect
or something else?
A recent case in point comes from Schneider
Electric. A March 10 press release announced
that Chairman and CEO Jean-Pascal
Tricoire was awarded one of five awards
from the Women's Empowerment Principles
(WEP) event this year " for his demonstrated
commitment to and implementation of policies
that advance and empower women in the
workplace, marketplace and community. The
2015 Business Case for Action Award recognized
[Schneider Electric] for its Diversity
and Inclusion policy, which prioritizes communicating
the business case for diversity
and creating a company-wide gender balance
environment that extends beyond the parent
company to more than 10 Schneider Electric
CEOs of its international branches in countries
from Viet Nam [sic] to Turkey. "
Commenting on the award, Tricoire said,
" Addressing gender diversity and equality is
a business and growth challenge. It is a key
priority which impacts not only the performance
of our organization, but also its reputation
as world-class employer. For many
reasons, that we know all, gender diversity
and equality is no more an option but a business
imperative! "
Fields that have been historically maledominated
may have a tougher time adapting
to these new business imperatives and cultural
shifts. Doing so requires more than just
hiring women or even setting up mentorships
(see sidebar, " Fairbanks Morse Leverages the
Benefits of Diversity " ).
POWER | June 2015
http://www.powermag.com http://www.powermag.com

POWER June 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of POWER June 2015

Contents
POWER June 2015 - Cover1
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POWER June 2015 - Contents
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