NES Global Talent Report Highlights Challenges Women Face in Global Oil and Gas Industry
The report, “Attracting and Retaining Women in Oil and Gas Engineering – A Survey Examining the Gender Talent Gap”, explains the various routes women are taking to find careers in oil and gas, underscoring the opportunities the sector has to cross-train from ancillary industries as well as non-traditional disciplines. For example, 44 percent of respondents reported to working in different industries—such as building and construction, law and retail—before moving into oil and gas.
Key findings include:
- 75 percent of women feel welcome working in the oil and gas industry yet almost half (45%) believe they do not get the same recognition as their male colleagues.
- 95 percent believe mentors are important for career advancement in the oil and gas industry yet 42 percent said they were neither a mentor nor a mentee
- More than four fifths (82%) of respondents plan to stay in the oil and gas industry for the next 2 – 5 years
- The report also shows that in order to attract and retain female workers, the industry needs to highlight the benefits of studying STEM subjects in schools and universities.
“The encouraging news is that the vast majority of female employees feel welcome in the sector and say they would recommend a career in oil and gas engineering to others,” Neil Tregarthen, CEO at NES Global Talent,said. “However, 45% say they do not get the same recognition as men. There may be issues of perception and reality here, but undoubtedly the topic needs to be better managed, if the sector is to become more attractive to women.
“ Many respondents said they are paid less, have fewer opportunities than their male counterparts and have to work harder than men to prove themselves and again there are clear improvements to be made, if the oil and gas sector is to attract larger numbers of female engineers in the future.”
Access the complete report here.