Women are the protagonists of geothermal energy in El Salvador.
Courtesy of LaGeo / LaGeo
Mariana was the fastest of her class to settle accounts.
In the classroom, there was no one better than her to apply Newton's laws.
He dreamed of designing machines.
She was a STEM girl (for science, technology, engineering and math).
Like her, girls tend to do better or the same as boys in subjects such as math, biology or physics in primary and secondary school, but when they jump into tertiary education and the job market, the pipeline that leads to their dedication to these areas, especially in the infrastructure sector, show leaks.
Only 18% of those who work in the water sector are women, according to a World Bank study carried out in 28 economies.
According to an investigation by the United States Agency for International Development in 14 countries, only 13% of women participate in the workforce of the electricity sector.
And in the European Union, for example, only 10% of women are in the technical and operational area of urban transport.
In the maritime sector, the share is barely 2%.
Figures in other subsectors are not more encouraging.
Steel corrodes with gender stereotypes that slow its attraction to the infrastructure sector: "Engineering is not for women."
Also with laws that prohibit female participation in certain jobs: more than 2,700 million women in 104 economies of the world, face legal restrictions to apply for the same jobs as men.
Job recruitment in the STEM sector continues to have very masculine overtones: "This job is very difficult for women."
While in job interviews, questions like "Are you thinking of having children?"
or "Who will take care of your care?"
Most countries do not promote maternity and paternity leave under equal conditions, so the care of babies in the first months is not equitable and neither is absence from work.
If they get past the hiring phase, other barriers soon appear: pay gaps, more recognition for men, risk of sexual harassment or bias from coworkers.
Other factors such as lack of mentors or opportunities to expand their training also hold back their careers.
Advantages for all
In sectors such as infrastructure, especially transport, energy and extraction, water, construction and digital development, women would have better salaries.
If they win, everyone wins: the productivity of some economies could increase by up to 25% if the barriers that prevent women from working in certain sectors or occupations are eliminated, according to the World Bank's Women, Business and Law report.
In addition, the wage gaps between men and women cause the world to lose 160 billion dollars annually.
In addition, another of the great benefits of incorporating STEM women is that we would have a more inclusive infrastructure, since project design and operations would be more sensitive to women's issues.
In addition, it would be a stimulus to continue breaking a vicious circle in which the fewer women perform in these roles, the fewer girls decide to bet on these careers, according to experts.
For companies there is no loss.
According to the World Bank's report Intensifying the STEM Careers of Women in Infrastructure Sectors, companies with more women in leadership positions often show better financial performance, especially in periods of economic volatility.
After doing a study in 345 companies in 6 Latin American countries, McKinsey & amp;
Company found that companies with one or more women on the executive committee had a 44% higher return on equity than those that did not include women in their top management.
However, the participation of women in the executive committees of companies in Latin America is only 19%.
How to repair the pipe?
The specialists propose to work in four major steps that must be taken simultaneously:
1.- Education:
eliminate gender stereotypes in learning materials, strengthen curricula in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, promote more practical experiences based on STEM extracurricular activities, create and consolidate scholarship and internship programs both in the public and private sectors.
2.- Recruitment:
remove legal obstacles to hiring women, promote inclusive policies such as quotas for female participation in projects, ensure that all candidates for a position take the same tests and with the same questions.
3.- Retain talent:
close pay gaps, seek greater flexibility in hours or part-time employment options, promote childcare services, address sexual harassment.
4.- Recognition:
some of the most promising strategies for professional development are increasing mentoring and sponsorship programs for women and facilitating access to professional networks.
Some successful experiences in Latin America show that it is possible to address the underrepresentation of STEM women in the infrastructure sector.
There are interesting examples in El Salvador, where geothermal energy has a female gender;
A gender committee is being created in the construction project for the largest wastewater treatment plant in Colombia, or in Panama, where there is a mentoring initiative for emerging women leaders.
Mariana did not dedicate herself to engineering;
it was a talent that was lost for the infrastructure area.
We have time to repair the pipeline to prevent further leaks in the future.
Marjorie Delgado
is an online producer for the World Bank.