On 8 March, BritCham Shanghai attended the International Women’s Day (IWD) 2024: “Enlightenment and Inclusion – Towards a 50/50 Gender Equality Era”, co-organised by New Energy Women’s Alliance and ACWA Power.
The event brought together more than 20 industry leaders who advocate for gender equality from various renewable energy sectors to discuss the importance of fostering an inclusive renewable energy industry without gender bias.
The theme of 2024 IWD, “Enlightenment and Inclusion“, emphasises that when we strive to inspire others to understand and embrace gender equality, we are shaping a better world. At the same time, when women themselves are inspired and actively participate, they develop a strong sense of identity, relevance, and empowerment, thus realising the meaning and value of enlightenment and inclusion.
Stuart Dunn, Executive Director of BritCham Shanghai, presented the UK’s practice of advocating for women’s development and equal representation from the perspectives of the UK’s business and political sectors, as well as the exploration of the Chamber’s efforts to pursue gender diversity.
“According to the data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the employment rate of women in the UK has been increasing since the 1960s, and especially in the past few decades, the employment rate of women has been increasing more rapidly. In 2023, the employment rate of women in the UK has reached 72.4%, which is almost 50 percentage points higher than that in the 1960s. At the same time, over the past few decades, more and more British women have begun to enter sectors that have previously been dominated by men, such as finance, technology, and energy. Although female groups are still in the minority in these fields, the increasing number of women entering them has injected new blood into previously male-dominated industries”, commented Stuart.
During the panel, other guest speakers shared their experiences and insights on the theme of “Enlightening and Inclusion”, as well as many of their personal stories. These topics demonstrated the outstanding contribution of women in the renewable energy sector and highlighted the importance of gender equality in achieving the energy transition and the Net-Zero journey.
