Gender and Energy Explorer: Bridging the Gap for an Inclusive Energy Transition
This is the second installment of the Topic of the Month: Gender perspectives in energy and climate
Many countries have set goals of ensuring secure, affordable energy supplies while transitioning to cleaner energy systems. Achieving these goals will require leveraging all available talent and expertise. A successful transition to an energy system that is clean, affordable and secure must take advantage of the broadest talent pool possible.
In its annual World Energy Employment report, the International Energy Agency (IEA) tracks employment across the energy sector, looking at various trends and offering insights from policy bet practices. The 2024 report showed that employment in the energy sector has been growing strongly, buoyed by rising investment. The global energy sector added nearly 2.5 million jobs in 2023, bringing total employment to over 67 million workers. Energy employment increased by 3.8%, outpacing the economy-wide average of 2.2%.
Despite the significant employment opportunities that the energy sector offers, there are also challenges. For example, not all groups are equally represented across the sector. Women make up 39% of the global workforce (ILO data) but only account for 20% of the energy sector workforce, according to data from the IEA. This stark imbalance means the gender gap in energy is nearly twice as large as in the economy overall, highlighting a major challenge in terms of attracting and retaining top talent.
The Role of Data
The first step to solving any problem is understanding it. Data is the driving force behind informed policies, making it possible to identify disparities, track progress, and design targeted interventions. Without comprehensive, disaggregated data, gaps can remain hidden making it very difficult for analysts and policy makers to identify and address them.
To understand better the gender gap in the energy sector, the IEA launched the Gender and Energy Data Explorer in 2022 to collect data related to gender, identify gaps and track trends over time. The aim is to support the development of well-informed strategies and programmes to support governments in achieving their policy goals.
The Explorer covers four topics: Employment, Senior Management, Entrepreneurship and Innovation. These indicators are updated every year and efforts are underway to provide broader, more detailed coverage and additional indicators.
Collecting gender-specific data in energy presents difficulties. For example, there is a lack of gender-disaggregated data and an absence of energy-specific classifications for accurately defining the energy sector. To create a comprehensive gender dataset, the Gender and Energy Data Explorer compiles information from a variety of sources, including surveys from the OECD Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs, the European Patent Office’s PATSTAT database, and commercial datasets such as Orbis and CrunchBase.
Energy Employment
The energy sector workforce continues to be unrepresentative of the workforce at large. According to the IEA gender explorer data from 29 countries (22 of which are IEA members), on average, only 20% of employees working in the energy sector are women — a significant difference from the average of 50% seen in the total workforce of the same dataset. The average gender wage gap in energy is also concerning, with women earning approximately 15% less than men even when controlling for skill level. The non-energy sector has a slightly smaller wage gap of -13% (IEA).
Energy Senior Management
Women’s underrepresentation in energy extends across all levels of employment but is even more pronounced in the more senior positions. In 2010, only 13% of senior managers in energy companies were women. By 2023, this has risen to 17%—a step forward, but still lower than the 25% share of female senior managers in other sectors. Nevertheless, there are some positive developments. Several of the renewable energy subsectors, such as wind and solar, have higher shares of female senior managers, with representation in line with the overall average of 25%. This suggests that newer and faster growing areas within the energy industry may offer better opportunities for more balanced representation in leadership roles.
Figure 1Print screen from the Gender and Energy explorer, topic: Senior Management. IEA analysis based on Orbis data; a Moody’s commercial database on private companies.
Figure 2 Print screen from the Gender and Energy explorer, topic: Senior Management. IEA analysis based on Orbis data; a Moody’s commercial database on private companies.
Women in Energy Innovation
Innovation is a critical driver of the energy transition, and more women are participating. The share of clean energy technology patents featuring at least one female inventor has recently increased; while the share was 38% in 2020, it jumped to 45% in 2021, but slightly decreased to 44% in 2023. In comparison, the share of patents with female inventors across all technologies has remained relatively stable, varying from 35% to 38 % from 2020 to 2023. In fossil fuel technologies, on the other hand, the share of patents with at least one female inventor was just 22% in 2023.
Encouraging more women to participate in energy innovation can also lead to better outcomes. Diverse research teams have been shown to produce more creative solutions[1], which is particularly important in the rapidly evolving clean energy sector.
Figure 3 Print screen from the Gender and Energy explorer, topic: Innovation IEA analysis based on the European Patent Office (EPO) PATSTAT database, accessed through the OECD Micro-data Lab
Figure 4 Print screen from the Gender and Energy explorer, topic: Innovation IEA analysis based on the European Patent Office (EPO) PATSTAT database, accessed through the OECD Micro-data Lab
Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship is another area where gender disparities persist. According to IEA data from 2023, only about 10% of start-up founders in the energy sector are women. The data in the energy sector are consistent with other sectors (excluding consumer goods). Female entrepreneurs may face challenges such as limited financial resources and lack of supportive networks. While policy measures such as training or mentoring[2] can help, further analysis is needed to fully understand these barriers.
A path forward
A well-functioning energy sector involves everyone, drawing on ideas and expertise across society and ensuring that no one is left behind. The development and adoption of new technologies and a dynamic entrepreneurial system can not only strengthen energy security and provide cleaner energy sources but also offer jobs and economic growth. There is a unique opportunity for the sector to become more reflective of the wider workforce.
By providing policy recommendations and working with governments and international organizations, the IEA aims to help create an energy sector that attracts and retains the top talent—regardless of gender. To build a more secure and sustainable energy future, it is essential to harness the full potential of all individuals.
The Gender and Energy Data portal plays a very important role in this mission, offering an evidence-based tool to understand the representation of individuals in the energy sector.
[1] Hunt, Vivian, Dennis Layton, and Sara Prince (McKinsey). 2015. Diversity Matters. McKinsey & Company (London). Link
[2] Martínez-Rodríguez, I., Quintana-Rojo, C., Gento, P. et al. Public policy recommendations for promoting female entrepreneurship in Europe. Int Entrep Manag J 18, 1235–1262 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11365-021-00751-9
