Participation of women in Renewable Industry: A new paradigm for India’s growth: Indian Renewable Industry makes a shift!

Studies say that 3,30,000 jobs in the renewable sector (majorly solar & wind) will be created to accomplish India’s ambitious goal to install 175 GW renewables by 2022. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA),  Employment  opportunities  in  India’s  renewable  energy  sector  will almost double by 2022. The report also noted that renewable energy employment continues to shift towards Asian countries. Currently, India’s Renewable Energy (RE) sector has low participation of women. According to the World Bank data, India is ranked 120^th among 131 countries on female labour force participation. Majorly women employed in RE sector work at project sites, doing civil masonry work which is temporary and have very little participation for future growth.

When women participation in RE sector increases, it satisfies two ultimate Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) like Gender Equity  and Sustainable Economic Growth. Women’s proportion in rooftop solar sector stands at 11% whereas the global average of women  in RE sector is 32%. However, this participation is higher compared to the other sectors like coal, oil, gas, electrical utility companies where the participation is 10%. Nevertheless, it is low compared to technology and services, financial sectors   where women’s participation is 20-30%. International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicts that India will be richer by 27% by balancing the gender profile at workplace. Studies show that India can increase its GDP by up to 60% by 2025 by enabling more women to participate in its workforce. Yet, societal and cultural norms prevent it from becoming a reality. Increasing women’s participation in labour in RE sector will raise  the quality  and economy of women as well as of the organization too! Advancements should take place to increase participation of women for the transition to clean energy in India to balance the economy and to retain a diverse pool of talent. If no proactive steps are taken to address gender equity, Green Revolution may face some consequences as boosting the economy at the cost of marginalizing women and making them more vulnerable to poverty.

By improving opportunities of paid jobs in women leads to empowerment of  women  that  results  into  better  treatment  with  women,  improved  lifestyle, improved  household  dynamics  and  improved  economy  of  a  society.  If  public sector,  private  sector  and  government  policies  come  together  for  women’s participation in clean energy sector, the quality life of women and their families will be improved. The basic problem with women’s participation in RE sector lies  in  formal  education  and  training.  There  are  very  few  women  involved  in production, operations, facilities, maintenance in RE sector. The problem and the opportunity are both clear.

India is a leading country in International Solar Alliance (ISA) having huge targets to install RE. National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) and Skill Council for Green Jobs (SCGJ) are developed as training centers for RE sector. Now, this is the time to include gender equity in skill development initiatives and trainings. As the more women will be skilled in RE, the bigger advantage the sector will have! National skilling goals should now specifically decide a target to skill and train  women  in  RE  sector.  Policy  makers  can  accelerate  the  gender  targeted policies to enable companies to advance towards gender parity and ensure that the sector’s growth. The “Step It Up” initiative is taken for gender equality in the world,  it  will  set  a  standard  for  many  other  countries,  and  accelerate  the momentum towards an equal world, a Planet 50-50, by the year 2030.

Factors governing the low representation of women include a lack of access to opportunities for women due to safety and security concerns at project sites, misperceptions  of  women’s  capabilities  in  some  roles;  insufficient  human resource  policies  beyond  legally  mandated  requirements;  societal  norms  and practices at workplaces and consciousness among employees.

The working conditions on many sites are not always suitable for women as they are devoid of safety and support systems and project and maintenance work require frequent visits at site. Training institutes could reduce the bar on entry, allowing  less  formally educated women to learn new skills and receive training. Training should be customized to respect specific needs like location, hours  of  engagement,  safety and  sanitation.  Mobile  training  modules  that  can cater to small groups of women in remote areas can be developed.

Lack of social security measures to protect against illness, maternity, old age, job losses are the other factors responsible for low participation of women. The disparity existing between  men and women regarding the pay scale is an unfortunate affair. The discussion on whether how fast, or even whether, that gap is closing always remains debatable.

Women in the solar sector continue to face the challenge of finding permanent employment along with a secure career. In addition  to creating opportunities for women in technology installation,   repair, dissemination, awareness generation, and marketing, there is a growing need within the energy sector to involve women in the formal engineering aspects of technology design and innovation.