A Woman's Place in Engineering: Addressing the Gender Imbalance in the Oil and Gas Industry

On 23rd June 1919, the Women’s Engineering Society was founded. WES aimed to protect the jobs women had acquired during WW2 and encourage the study of engineering among women. Today- over a hundred years later- the goals of the charity remain the same. The WES runs a number of campaigns such as MentorSET and INWED designed to inspire, support and enable the progression of female engineers. The unaltered aims of the charity are a testament to the fact that the engineering industry is yet to achieve a gender balanced workforce. Statistics mirror this sentiment as, compared to other European countries, the UK has the lowest percentage of women in engineering with a 15% female workforce.[1] However, this is not just an issue of social justice. Instead, it is a matter of pragmatism: 59,000 more engineers are needed each year which is an issue for a sector that faces a growing skill shortage and an aging workforce. Confronting the gender imbalance provides a solution to this problem. Today’s skill shortage- like the 1940s- is calling upon women to take up roles within STEM fields. Women should not be or feel inhibited by their gender as femininity is an asset which brings with it a variety of strengths such as empathy, intuition and attention to detail.[2] In fact, equal opportunities have been linked with greater profitability.[3] Why then, has the engineering landscape been so resistant to change?

The crux of the problem: A Failure to Attract, Retain and Promote Women within the O&G sector

A 2019 survey conducted by McKinsey revealed that out of 18 industries that attract STEM talent, the Oil and Gas industry had the fewest number of women entering the field and comparatively the second to last number of women holding C-suite roles.[4] Only 30% of entry level employees in the Oil and Gas industry are female which is 11% lower than other STEM industries that attract 41%. A graph by McKinsey highlights some key issues in the female employment lifecycle: The Oil and Gas industry struggles to attract, retain, and promote women. 

Tackling the Skill Shortage in Engineering

The need to tackle the gender imbalance in the Oil and Gas sector goes beyond equality. A 2019 report by the Recruitment Employment Confederation revealed that 50% of employers are expecting a deficiency of candidates for engineering roles.[5] In order to meet the industry demands the UK will need to double the number of students studying engineering at university. Women could be the answer to the UK’s skill shortage in engineering as well as providing a strategy for a more successful and creative company. Research by McKinsey supports this assertion as companies with more women leaders were shown to be 15% more likely to achieve above industry average financial returns.

Diversity is key to Innovation

According to a recent global survey, diversity holds the key to innovation. 85% of talent and corporate diversity leaders agreed that heterogeneity encourages different perspectives, the refinement of ideas and drives innovation. Engineers are responsible for building our societies and therefore, the workforce should be a reflection of our society.

Kat Ely explores the consequences of having a male dominated workforce in her article The World is Designed For Men, where she lists various products that are intended for the global market and yet are created with only men in mind. One good example of this are power tools: because women are not considered to be “handy”, tools are designed for a male demographic. Less ergonomic tools are an additional barrier for women holding operational roles in engineering. Recognizing that the engineering industry is a man’s world, Oxfam runs a number of schemes in countries such as Cambodia, Ghana and Guatemala intended to amplify women’s voices. Oil and gas projects have repercussions for surrounding communities as the quality and availability of water could be affected, agriculture land may be infringed upon and the general cost of living might increase. The charity encourages government officials to uphold stronger gender analysis in Cambodian oil and mining projects and provides training to indigenous Maya women who aim to become community leaders. The importance of amplifying the voices of the individuals most affected is clear.

Follow your heart: Gendered Subject Choices 

Gendered patterns in fields of study have been observed in most Western countries. Students taking engineering, sciences or Maths are predominately male while women are overrepresented in the humanities, arts and education. The gender gap in STEM is smaller in countries like Iran, Uzbekistan, Tunisia and Oman where curricular and career goals are viewed as practical, economic decisions. Sociologists Charles and Bradley were the first to explore the hypothesis that gender segregation is more prominent in Western countries and found that one’s profession is a crucial ingredient in the construction of our identity.[6] Aphorisms like “follow your heart” and “do what you love” resound through British classrooms. This connection between one’s profession and identity cause career choices to be more tied to existing gender stereotypes.

In Tunisia and Jordan all students take a national exam after high school regardless of socio-economic status and depending on their scores they are assigned a particular career track. Raja Ghosi, a Tunisian engineering professor at the National Engineering School of Tunis, noted that,

“a large percentage of girls aren’t driven by a passion for engineering but by performance.”[7]

The education system in Jordan is similar, at the end of 12th grade students choose their discipline based on their national exam scores, the country’s needs as well as their individual interest. Comparing the number of female engineering students in Tunisia, Jordan and Britain offers an interesting insight into the impact of cultural values upon academic and professional choices. In the UK only 19% of students studying engineering or technology degrees at university were women, in contrast with 30.4% in Tunisia and 40% in Jordan.

Although young girls may feel as if engineering is “out of their comfort zone” statistics illustrate that women are more than capable at achieving in engineering fields of study as on average girls outperform boys at A level and nearly 80% of female engineering students will get a first or an upper second-class degree compared with 74.6% of male students. This implies that ability is not the problem rather, young girls are held back by their self-perception.

 Dispelling Misconceptions about the Engineering Industry

Ten years ago, Oil and Gas was the fourteenth most attractive employer among engineering and IT students. Now, it is ranked 35th. This decline is likely linked to the rise in environmental awareness. 71% of Millennials and Gen Zs regard climate change as the biggest challenge facing future generations.[8] A survey conducted by Purple Pulse found that 59% of females placed a high importance on the social purpose of a company compared with 54% of Millennial and Gen Z males. In order to attract younger generations, the oil and gas industry will need to undergo a rebrand: environmentally conscious initiatives adopted by companies should be highlighted for prospective employees and a net-zero emission future must be embraced. Ironically, intelligent, environmentally conscious individuals would be ideal leaders for guiding the oil and gas industry into a more sustainable future. Companies would benefit from employees who are driven by a goal to reduce the structural emission of a business through innovative, energy-efficient designs and ideas.

The engineering industry still evokes images of spanners and dirty overalls rather than a career path for innovators, inventors, and problem solvers. This notion is supported by an EY study which reported that only 20% of Gen Z and 13% of millennials mentioned engineer when asked for a typical Oil and Gas role.[9] Graduates hold misconceptions of what being an engineer entails. As a subject engineering is extensive, rewarding, creative and genderless. Historically, men have had the freedom to be more self-defining in comparison to women who are defined by those around them. Being perceived in terms of one’s relationships- mother, daughter, and wife- has long been a barrier to female progression. Yet, the selflessness ascribed to women would allow them to excel as engineers. Engineers have the opportunity to help disadvantaged communities, to positively impact people’s everyday lives and to create a more sustainable world. Ailie MacAdam, Senior President of Betchel Corporation, believes that women have a natural propensity to improve things and make them more efficient. MacAdam’s Curriculum Vitae acts as evidence of this as she led the largest civil infrastructure project in Europe as the delivery director of the central section of the Crossrail.

 How far has the O&G Industry come?

 An obstacle that females have historically faced is the disparity in wages between men and women working the same job. When all factors are equal, the difference in pay between a male and female engineer is less than 1%. However, this statistic dismisses a key problem: the types of roles held by women. PESA data shows that of the 16% of women that make up the American Oil and Gas industry workforce, 31% hold supporting positions like human resources, legal and information technology.[10]  The majority of engineers in the top career grade are men. [11] A large proportion of firms still have no women on their boards.[12] Currently, there are only two women- Katherine Roe and Linda Cook- who lead London listed Exploration and Production companies.

McKinsey found that the percentage of women holding top roles varied significantly depending on the subsector. Exploration and production companies (E&P) and downstream only companies had three times as many executive-level women than oil-field services and upstream companies.[13] One reason for this variation could be the extensive programs run by Integrated E&P companies that are designed to attract, develop and retain female talent. For example, BP runs a female discovery program which is open to female undergraduates from any discipline and involves four days of networking and hearing from female leaders. Chevron was rated among the top certified companies for gender equality and ExxonMobil has invested more than $120 million in the Women’s Economic Opportunity Initiative since its inception in 2005. Oil field services have more volatile margins and may not have the financial resources to invest in such programs.

 Career obstacles women overcome in the energy sector

 Unconscious Bias

 When asked the challenges women face in developing professionally within the energy sector, Sarah Bairstow- Head of LNG Marketing at Santos GLNG- talked of the unconscious bias that impacts the decisions made by “genuinely well-meaning male leaders.”[14] An unconscious bias can be defined as an involuntary and automatic mental association evoked by an individual’s gender. This immediate impression is shaped by someone’s traditions, norms, values, culture, and experience. In practice, this is the idea that a man in a senior position would unknowingly allow his preconceptions of female employees to affect the way he perceives their role and interacts with them within the company. The fact that women report far fewer interactions with their senior leaders is an illustration of the unconscious bias that they are having to battle against. According to a study by McKinsey, only 51% of women compared to 62% of men reported that they interacted with a company leader at least once a week.[15] Such conversations and feedback can be vital to one’s progression and development. Overlooking women of high potential can have a long-lasting effect on the Oil and Gas talent pool: if female candidates take their talent elsewhere then, this will cause the work force to have a hollow middle.

The Male Performance Model as the measure of success

Another contention is that the female talent pool is larger in downstream companies where candidates for senior roles are expected to have experience in marketing and sales. Contrastingly, senior executives in upstream companies are typically expected to have frontline operations experience. The need to accept international or remote assignments to get promoted is difficult for those suffering with the “double burden” syndrome- the combination of work and domestic responsibilities- which weighs heavily upon women. In a report entitled “Women Matter” McKinsey described the “anytime anywhere” performance model as predominately male orientated.[16] Good leadership is equated with unfailing availability and total geographic mobility. An additional factor to consider is that the location of operational roles for upstream projects may pose additional cultural barriers for women. According to Saudi Arabia Labor law women are allowed to work. However, the patriarchal ideologies quite literally enter the workplace as strict government laws require the office to have separate bathrooms for men and women, a security system and private lunchrooms. Most buildings in Saudi Arabia are constructed for a male workforce so employers might have to make expensive alterations in order to adhere to this criterion. To retain female talent, Oil and Gas companies will need to develop alternative career trajectories for women. With the fourth industrial revolution impacting all industries, transformative technologies in engineering may lay the foundation for a multi-laned career path.

Subtle and Overt Stressors

At each stage of the career ladder in the Oil and Gas industry, the number of women decreases. According to a study by the Boston Consulting Group and the World Petroleum Council women’s job satisfaction diminishes mid-career due to a lack of opportunities for career advancement.[17] Even after overcoming the initial hurdles, women face a variety of difficulties within the workplace. The Harvard Business Review identifies a range of subtle and overt stressors in an article exploring the problem of female retention in engineering.[18] Overt stressors would include instances of gender discrimination or harassment while an example of a subtle stressor would be the gendering of roles and tasks. An engineer requires two sets of skills: hard engineering skills such as technical ability or problem solving juxtaposed with softer professional skills like communication, relationship building and teamwork. This binary is overlayed with correlating gender and value assumptions: Engineering firms equate technical roles with high status and value whereas professional roles like product or project management are seen as less critical. Although some women gravitate to these tasks and roles independently, others felt they had been pushed towards them by mentors and superiors. Pigeonholing women in underrated positions encourages the notion of inferiority that is often associated with “the second sex”. To fix the leaking pipeline, the Oil and Gas industry must foster a culture of respect and recognition.

How can O&G companies address the gender imbalance?

 The gender gap is an issue that extends to all STEM industries. However, the problem is acute in the Oil and Gas sector where the female intake rate is low and the number of women abandoning the career path is high. When it comes to bridging the gender gap, Oil and Gas companies have a plethora of solutions to utilize. To facilitate the deconstruction of the gender binaries that influence career aspirations, businesses should invest in educational programs that introduce girls to engineering from an early age. An example of such an initiative is Shell’s Girls in Energy program which delivers weekly lessons, workshops and field visits to young girls between the ages of 14 and 16. Mentor schemes are another way of inspiring and supporting women interested in engineering through providing them with a professional role model. WES runs a mentoring scheme for women in STEM that helps milestones to be reached, goals to be tracked and partnerships to be formed. Investment in such schemes would create a self-perpetuating cycle as current female employees could refine their career goals, reach their full potential, and develop into the role models of tomorrow. Companies can also make the engineering industry more comfortable for women by introducing Flexible Working Arrangements such as staggered working hours, compressed work schedules as well as scheduled breaks for extended learning, training and telecommuting. 

Our current crisis also represents an opportunity as 2020- the year of working from home- has caused typical notions of work life to be reconsidered. Oil and Gas companies can show women that they have place within the engineering industry by investing in a flexible and empathetic workplace. At Janikin Energy we are ensuring that women are no longer an afterthought in recruitment as we recognize that this untapped workforce will be fundamental in building the infrastructure projects of the future.

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[1] (WES , 2018)

[2] (Yanna J. Weisberg, 2011)

[3] (Swinson, 2013)

[4] (Yanosek & Ahmad, 2019)

[5] (Cole, 2020)

[6] (Abu-lail & Aliah Pang, 2012 )

[7] (Weingarten, 2017)

[8] "The Purpose Pulse | Millennials, Gen Z & Purpose". 2021. Thepurposepulse.Com. https://www.thepurposepulse.com/.

[9] (EY UK, 2019)

[10] (PESA, 2018)

[11] (Royal Academy of Engineering )

[12] (POWERful Women , 2020)

[13] (Yanosek & Ahmad, 2019)

[14] (Gunzberg, Women in Commodities , 2018 )

[15] (McKinsey and Company , 2016)

[16] (McKinsey and Company , 2016)

[17] (World Petroleum Council, 2014)

[18] (Caza, 2018)