BLOG: New Study Pegs Women as ‘Untapped Reserves’ in Oil, Gas
Women are still underutilized in the oil and gas industry. At least that’s what a July 12 report by The Boston Consulting Group and World Petroleum Council suggests.
The report titled “Untapped Reserves: Promoting Gender Balance in Oil and Gas” examines gender balance at three stages of career development – entry level, mid-career and senior management. The 40-page report is full of analysis and insight from the 2,000 male and female industry professionals surveyed.
As a quick overview, here’s what the stats tell us:
- Women make up 38% of the workforce in major oil-producing nations, but only 22% of employees in oil and gas
- Only 1% of the industry’s CEOs are female
- Globally, women hold only 10% of expatriate jobs
- Women represent:
- 26% of employees at international oil companies
- 13% of employees at national oil companies
- 16% of employees at oilfield services and equipment companies
What I found of particular interest in this report is how women are represented in the oil and gas industry in mid-career.
Here’s a hint: the stats aren’t too positive, but also not earth-shattering. We’ve long been reporting on the underrepresentation of women in STEM, and subsequently, oil and gas, as well as the efforts being made to close the gender gap.
But the report holds a microscope to the issue and provides a bit of insight that other reports have not. When respondents say things like, “Our industry is extremely archaic. Change is necessary,” and “It has been a male-dominated field since the beginning of time. It will take years to change that,” we may need…
