Description

As International Women’s Day draws near, it’s time to celebrate and recognise the vital achievements of women globally. The ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE) takes this opportunity to address the gender gap within the ASEAN energy sector, a gap that has limited women’s advancement and contribution to the energy sector.  

The energy sector overall has tended to employ relatively few women. In ASEAN, while there was a notable labour force participation rate of 67% for women in 20201, this figure is overshadowed by the broader gender disparities within the sector. Within the energy sector, the disparity is starker: women’s roles in key segments like natural gas, petroleum products, and crude oil production are just 8% of the total workforce. This imbalance unfolds in a scenario of rapidly increasing energy demands, with women benefiting significantly less from this growth2. 

Women are underrepresented at management levels, while the obstacles faced by women in the energy sector reflect wider economic challenges but are intensified by the sector’s critical need for transformation. This disparity hinders women’s economic empowerment and denotes a vast untapped potential crucial for advancing the energy transition. 

Therefore, the webinar will facilitate a discussion platform between women and gender experts in ASEAN on challenges and opportunities faced in the energy sector. An online survey will be launched during the webinar to facilitate data collection on gender issues. This initiative is part of a continued effort following the ASEAN RE-Gender Roadmap (2022), and it is intended to inform a comprehensive report on enhancing women’s inclusion. The findings will be compiled and published as a testament to the event’s outcomes, contributing to the ongoing discourse on gender diversity and inclusion in the energy sector as an input for the next cycle of ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC). 

The webinar will be hosted by ACE in order to amplify the ongoing energy gender projects, namely the ASEAN Climate Change and Energy Project (ACCEPT), the initial implementation of the ASEAN RE-Gender Roadmap supported by the EmPower Project (UNEP and UN Women), and upcoming one with the Oxfam International.