Researchers aim to attract more women working in offshore wind 

A new research project that aims to tackle the gender imbalance in offshore wind by ensuring that more women enter the sector has been announced by the Offshore Wind Industry Council and the University of East Anglia.

The project, “Clearing the Pathway for Women in Wind”, is part of the Offshore Wind Sector Deal agreed between the government and industry. There is a commitment to ensure that women make up at least 33% of the workforce by 2030. The figure currently stands at 18%.

Researchers will examine factors which affect the entry, progress and retention of women working in the industry such as ethnicity, age, sexuality, disability, class, culture and religion.

The project lead for the University of East Anglia is Dr Jade Stalker, lecturer in Organisational Behaviour at Norwich Business School.

Dr Stalker said: “We aim to shed light on a topic that has been thoroughly investigated, yet still a pressing issue throughout the energy sector, by using the analytical perspective of intersectionality.

“An intersectional lens towards the offshore wind workforce is crucial in unpicking the lived experiences of women. We must learn from the personal experiences of privilege/oppression, advantage/disadvantage and inclusion/exclusion.

“Together with a cross examination of the best practice and improvement practice cases, the end goal is to create something practical for the industry. We firmly believe opportunities exist for the offshore wind sector to lead gender balance across the energy divisions.”