DOHA: Building a diverse workforce that includes more Qatari women is critical for the energy industry to meet future challenges, said a statement issued by Qatari Businesswomen Association (QBWA) yesterday.
Currently, women represent a minority of the global oil and gas workforce and fewer hold engineering or technical roles.
In the UK, women account for 51 percent of the population, but only eight percent of engineering professionals, according to a recent analysis by Royal Academy of Engineering.
The Gulf Intelligence Women in Energy Summit on March 11, in partnership with QBWA, will discuss the outlook for women in the energy industry and recommend changes to advance their role.
“It is vital that Qatari women have an equal opportunity to pursue a diversity of positions in the energy sector, and that women are made aware of what jobs are available to them if they are interested in pursuing a career in oil and gas.
“Qatari women play an important role in contributing to the country’s economic activity and should play an equally central role in tackling challenges faced by the energy industry,” said Aisha Hussain Alfardan, Vice Chairwoman, QBWA, and speaker at the summit.
Positive changes have started. For example, in the US, 46 percent of all new jobs in the oil industry went to women in the first quarter of 2013, the highest since 1991.
The majority of new university students entering engineering programmes in the Gulf are young women.
“In our industry, experts predict that as economies and populations grow, global energy consumption will rise by about 35 percent from 2010 to 2040. Key energy players such as Qatar need to be prepared to meet this increase in demand, which means a corresponding increase in demand for professionals, including women,” said Alistair Routledge, President and General Manager, ExxonMobil Qatar.
“There is a significant number of women in key positions at ExxonMobil and their contributions are valued and leveraged. Every day, I am amazed by skills, energy and dedication of Qatari women I have had the pleasure to work with.
“I see a trend in Qatar of more and more women entering the workforce, especially at my organisation, and I am honoured to work with these women as we contribute to Qatar National Vision 2030 by providing energy to support the thriving society.”
The summit will bring together Qatar’s energy industry and female global energy leaders and local initiatives such as QBWA which is keen to work with professional women working in male-dominated fields, create a platform to discuss challenges they face, find solutions to address them, and develop programmes to empower women to help them overcome challenges and pave the way for future generations.
The Peninsula
