The energy sector has long been dominated by men across most roles and levels of qualification. Although women represent 48% of the global workforce, the International Energy Agency notes that women hold about 22% of positions in this sector, rising to 32% in renewable energy roles.
With this reality in mind, Iberdrola designs and promotes a range of initiatives aimed at increasing the participation of women in STEM careers where opportunities exist.
Specifically, the company is advancing programs in Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, and other regions to form strategic alliances, support partners, and raise visibility for women’s participation in energy and technology sectors.
Throughout these efforts, the objective is to create lasting, organization-wide impact that endures over time. Therefore, both internal and external practices have been pursued for years to support women at pivotal moments in their professional journeys.
First comes sparking girls and young people’s interest in STEM, followed by helping them pursue training and enter the labor market. The approach also focuses on accelerating the development of women already in the workforce and highlighting leading female professionals who challenge gender bias.
international impulse
Among Iberdrola’s most notable programs are those designed to grow talent and give visibility to prominent women. The company seeks to build a diverse workforce by encouraging exploration of STEM paths, particularly for women, and by creating pathways into the labor market in collaboration with local institutions, scholarships, and educational incentives.
In Spain, partnerships involve Innobasque, the Basque Country Innovation Agency, and collaborations with the Ministry of Education, the Pontifical University of Comillas, and EMT, among others. This year, Iberdrola participated in the Technovation Girls initiative, an innovation and entrepreneurship program in which girls and young women work with mentors to solve local problems through technology.
Across the United States, the Avangrid Foundation works with Girls Inc to launch Eureka!, a five-year program promoting intensive STEM training and internships for youth from underrepresented groups. Iberdrola in the United States also supports the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and joined Paradigm for Parity in 2021, a coalition dedicated to closing gender and racial gaps in business and achieving gender parity by 2030.
In the United Kingdom, Iberdrola, via its ScottishPower subsidiary, participates in POWERful Women to advance gender diversity in energy. The company also maintains SP Connected Women, an employee network that hosts regular meetings and events to share experiences and ideas.
In Mexico, since 2018 Iberdrola has organized the Energized Women forum, a space for dialogue on diversity, equality, and inclusion to foster initiatives that reduce the gender gap. In 2023, the company launched its fourth round of STEM scholarships in collaboration with local partners to promote engineering education for youth in Oaxaca.
In Brazil, through Neoenergia, the company committed in 2023 to raise the representation of women and people of color in leadership roles across the business by more than 30% by 2025, aligning with the United Nations Global Compact. The School for Women Electricians is highlighted as a program to encourage women’s placement in traditionally male electrical roles. Since its 2017 opening, the school has trained 850 women, with about 600 subsequently hired.
In 2022, Iberdrola supported the Women in Energy Network (WIEN) in Australia, an industry association that promotes women’s advancement in the sector through relationships, knowledge exchange, and leadership opportunities.