World Bank: Women Represent Less Than 10% of Energy Workforce in MENA

Rabat – Despite having 50% of female graduates in STEM fields, the energy sector in the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) remains male-dominated as women represent less than 10% of the energy workforce.

According to the World Bank, women’s participation in the technical and management sectors is even lower with a regional average of 5%.

In Morocco, for instance, the number of female workers across all occupations was at roughly 7.5% in 2019. Meanwhile, the share of managers from the total number of female employers was under 1%, one of the lowest rates among MENA countries.

Through a cross-country assessment of the status of MENA women in the energy sector, the World Bank found that the low-female representation in the energy sector is linked to “restrictive norms, legal barriers that reinforce gender stereotypes, and occupation segregation.”

In 2017, Morocco’s share of female university graduates reached roughly 40% in engineering and ICTs fields, while 50% of Moroccan female university graduates majored in natural sciences.

However, societal norms limiting women’s role to home chores and the lack of affordable and quality childcare remain the major challenges facing MENA women in the energy sector and beyond.

Surveying attitudes towards gender in Morocco, Egypt, and Palestine, the World Bank tellingly found that both men and women agree with stereotypical statements such as “a woman’s most important role is to care for the home and cook for the family.”

72% of surveyed men agreed with the statement in Morocco, while 49% of women echoed the same sentiment.

Surveyed Egyptians strongly agreed with the statement — with 87% and 77% of men and women, respectively, approving of the aforementioned statement.

The exclusion of women, however, negatively affects the overall economy, the survey argued.

Quoting IMF estimates, the World Bank noted that meeting “gender gaps could add up to over 20% to the region’s Gross Domestic Product,” adding that companies with gender-diverse boards are “more productive and more profitable.”

With the MENA region shifting towards renewable energy, the sector is expected to generate 80% of jobs in the energy sector by 2050 compared to 11% in fossil fields and 5% in nuclear energy.

According to the World Bank, MENA women can contribute to this shift with their expertise.

“The dynamic transition toward renewable energy in MENA countries offers an opportunity for more women to be employed in sustainable and high productive jobs that will change the face of the region,” the bank said.