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For more women in the electricity sector

Neoenergia is committed to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), guidelines established by the United Nations (UN) to form a fairer and more balanced world for the future. Among these goals is the promotion of gender equality. Through the School of Electricians, the company has trained and hired more and more women for operating activities.

Female participation was boosted by the creation of exclusive classes for women at the School of Electricians at the company's distributors. The initiative is recognized as a global example of one of the Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs) by WeEmpower, a UN Women program with the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the European Union to encourage good business practices. Neoenergia is a signatory to the WEPs. With this first incentive for female presence concluded, the company believes it is possible to form mixed classes with a more equal presence between genders.
 

Promoting STEM Women


Increasingly highlighted, STEM professions illustrate the scenario of gender inequality and point out paths for change. Learn more about these professions and learn how Neoenergia works to stimulate the female presence in them:

What is STEM?

STEM is the acronym formed by the initials of the words Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in English, also known as STEM areas for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.

STEM education is a method that proposes teaching focused on these four disciplines, integrated into an innovative interdisciplinary approach. In it, the teaching of subjects is integrated with each other and with the “real world”, which helps to make teaching more interesting for students, as opposed to traditional teaching methods.

 

What is the importance of STEM?

Efforts to promote STEM education are a response to a market need: the industry suffers from a lack of qualified professionals in these areas.
With a policy to promote STEM education from basic, elementary and secondary education, it is natural that students' interest in courses in these areas increases. Initiatives can also be a way to promote equal opportunities for the population, a problem that stands out in the matter.

Gender inequity in the STEM professions

In universities, women represent only 35% of students enrolled in these fields — the percentage is even lower in engineering (production, civil and industrial) and in technology, not reaching 28% of the total.

This is a worrying situation, especially since it is these areas that have generated the most job opportunities, as highlighted by UN Women for the Principles of Women's Economic Empowerment. For them, it is not possible to move forward with regard to gender equality without addressing the gap in such promising careers.


Promoting the development of women in STEM fields

Neoenergia carries out initiatives to support women's professional development in the STEM areas and to move towards equal opportunities. The expansion of opportunities for women is in line with Neoenergia's commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially number 5, on gender equality.

Gupo Iberdrola: referência mundial em estímulo a mulheres em STEM

O grupo Iberdrola incentiva o desenvolvimento entre as mulheres de carreiras STEM. O Grupo considera que a formação em profissões historicamente desempenhadas por homens​ é fundamental para que elas possam trabalhar em todas as áreas que desejarem e, inclusive, serem capazes de chegar a cargos de responsabilidade até agora reservados aos homens.

O número de mulheres empregadas na Iberdrola aumentou 50% na última década. Para continuar atraindo talentos femininos, a companhia elétrica espanhola desenvolve programas que incentivam esse tipo de curso não só na Europa, mas em todos os diferentes países onde o Grupo está presente.