international
The energy sector is widely regarded as one of the least gender diverse industries as women are consistently underrepresented, particularly in technical and managerial roles. In the Europe and Eurasia (E&E) region, harmful socio-cultural norms and a lack of inclusive policies often cause women to depart from the workplace or even the workforce and, therefore, contribute to a lack of female leadership. To expand economic growth, promoting women’s economic empowerment and advancing gender equity in the energy sector and globally is crucial.
With support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Advancing Women Leaders in Energy (AWLE) project focuses on mid-career training, human resource policies, internships, mentoring, and the creation of women in energy associations in the E&E region. The AWLE project supports the U.S. Government’s Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) Initiative, including the Women’s Entrepreneurship and Economic Empowerment Act (WEEE Act), which advances gender equity and equality through a diverse set of programming, understanding that “investment in a woman means investing in her community and her country.”
Currently, NARUC is in the process of institutionalizing mentoring programs that involve mid- and senior management-level staff and is working with interested regulatory authorities to set up mentoring programs within their commissions. To complement these programs, the AWLE Guide to Mentoring covers the following topics and more:
To access the guide, click here.