Posted on 08 March 2021
#Manels and #manferences may not yet be listed in the Oxford English Dictionary, but academics have certainly become more sensitive to the importance of inclusive representation at conferences. However, while recognising the problem is one thing, doing something about it is another.
The EUI's Florence School of Regulation (FSR) stands out in its commitment to equal representation in its scientific communications and activities. In 2017, it created Lights on Women to further its mission of enhancing economically and socially inclusive energy regulation and policy. Since then, it has been on a journey to improve inclusion and gender equality within the School and inspire the energy sector to do the same.
FSR's Communication Specialist Jessica Dabrowski (right), with the first recipient of the Lights on Women Scholarship.
Florence School of Regulation Communications Officer Jessica Dabrowski, who first developed the Lights on Women initiative with Ilaria Bellacci in 2017, walks us through this journey. What started as a grassroots approach to increasing the gender balance within the School's online activities has become an established programme that promotes, trains and advocates for women in energy, climate and sustainability.
Why did you create Lights on Women, and how did it become the pathway to mainstreaming gender at the FSR?
‘When Ilaria Bellacci and I began planting the seeds for Lights on Women, we aimed to bring visibility to the expertise and professional achievements of women in energy and in turn, increase their representation and participation in FSR activities,’ explains Dabrowski.
‘The key to making this a reality was shifting our approach to external collaborations and community building. Instead of selecting the same experts from a predominately male network, the team began consciously expanding the FSR community and talent pool to engage more female experts from around the world when producing knowledge for the School.
The Net Zero podcast series is a great example of Lights on Women's contribution. Collaborating with FSR Training alumni Joana Freitas (Net Zero's host), we developed a podcast on the Energy Transition and Climate Change that put gender balance at the core of its production strategy. This set off a domino effect that led to entirely gender-balanced podcasts, and prompted us to launch our Energy Expert List, a tool that enables our team to apply the same process across FSR activities.’
What are particular challenges for gender mainstreaming in the energy sector?
‘The energy sector remains one of the least gender-diverse sectors in the economy. Although the numbers are improving in the renewable energies area, it’s not just about numerical representation. Even with an increase of women working in renewables, they are still more likely to be employed in lower-paid, non-technical and administrative positions rather than managerial or policymaking roles.
Behind the snapshots of gender representation in the sector, highly skilled women are working to overcome barriers across education, employment, entrepreneurship and leadership. Addressing these barriers will require deliberate and sweeping action in policymaking, civil society, industry and academia. The changes necessary range from irradicating gender stereotypes and taking early action in STEM education, to gender mainstreaming in policymaking and collecting gender-disaggregated data as a standard practice. Moreover, bolstering leadership's commitment to gender equality and the creation of equal and inclusive professional opportunities are vital to ensuring gender discrepancies are addressed in the labour force.’
Fortunately, EU leadership is also on board to address inequalities in the energy sector. The FSR, together with the WECS Foundation, recently held an online event including a representative of EU Commissioner of Energy Kadri Simson and a representative of EU Commissioner for Equality Helena Dalli. During the event participants tied together the objectives of green recovery, the transition to a climate-neutral economy, and gender equality.
The discussion, Fostering synergies between the European Green Deal and European Gender Strategy, is available online.
It sounds like FSR has entered into a virtuous circle. Have there been any other associated benefits?
Returning to the domino effect I mentioned earlier, as the FSR expanded Lights on Women's activities to promote, train and advocate for women in energy, our network and online community began to transform. The Lights on Women Annual Scholarship, which over two years has supported 30 women in their pursuit of technical knowledge and career-advancing training, is a key driver of this transformation and instrumental to re-building our talent pool. As women in energy became increasingly aware of the FSR's commitment to creating inclusive opportunities, we saw a significant improvement in the gender balance of our online community, from the experts that engage with us in our knowledge production, to our online course participants and web audience.
What has the FSR been aiming for in its strategies to be more inclusive?
‘No matter the sector or type of organisation, we all benefit from more diverse teams, perspectives and experiences. Diversity helps us improve problem-solving and our ability to adapt; creates new pathways for knowledge production, learning and development; fuels scientific discovery; and drives innovation and solutions with more equitable outcomes.
Representation is essential, but the intention has to go deeper than checking off boxes or improving statistics. We cannot increase diversity or representation without cultivating an inclusive and equitable culture at multiple levels, first. Culture change within an organisation takes time and persistence and requires genuine and all-encompassing 'buy-in' at every level. This is why I like to say that the FSR embarked on a journey when it launched Lights on Women – it was the first stop on a long road towards achieving our goal of increasing female representation and ultimately becoming a more inclusive organisation.’
What has been the FSR’s approach to doing this? What do you recommend for other projects interested in taking this on?
‘FSR's progress started with changing mindsets, processes, and informal ways of working across our cross-functional team. From there, we gradually transformed by co-creating a larger purpose and shared vision,which inspires everyone to align their actions towards the same destination.
My personal recommendation is, if you discover an area in which you can make an impact, don’t wait to get started – the perfect conditions, title, age etc. don’t exist. In an interview for the European Network for Women in Leadership, Anne Houtman, who has provided instrumental support to Lights on Women over the years, shared valuable insight about advancing change and leadership. She expressed that management and leadership are not interchangeable. You don't have to wait to be in a specific position in an organisation’s hierarchy to become a leader and inspire change. Thanks to the mentorship of Anne and FSR Director Jean-Michel Glachant, this was a lesson I held onto while building Lights on Women.
Culture is made up of everything that our organisation does and most importantly, the people who are a part of it. With a clear vision, empathy, and determination, each of us can play a proactive role in creating meaningful and lasting change no matter our position or seniority. We start by fixing what we can ourselves, then using the positive results, we build momentum and inspire others, at all levels, to join the ride.’
On 10 March the FSR will honour International Women's Day in an online event with the authors of Engendering the Energy Transition. The book brings together diverse contributions exploring the integration of gender equality in current national energy policies and international energy frameworks across the Global South and North. Read more and register for the event here.