“Although the road ahead is long, there are significant advances in gender equity in the industry”: ACP

The Colombian Petroleum Association (ACP) presented the economic report ‘Challenges and opportunities for promoting gender equity in the hydrocarbons sector in Colombia’, which for the first time analyzes women's participation in the sector during the years 2018 and 2019, and presents recommendations on actions that should be promoted to close gender gaps in the industry.

•  Female participation in the fuel segment is 10 points higher than in exploration, production, transportation, and refining activities.
• Cultural biases, the balance of shifts in the field and family, and tasks specific to this activity are among the access barriers.
• There are advances in actions taken by companies, the Government, and initiatives by professionals linked to the sector to close the gender gap in the industry.

 

The study shows that for every four employees in the sector in the country, one is a woman, a participation rate comparable to the international average. It also reflects that female representation in the downstream (liquid fuel and lubricant distribution segment) is 10 points higher than that recorded in oil and gas exploration, production, transportation, and refining activities.

“A possible explanation could be that marketing activities tend to require a greater number of administrative profiles, roles in which there is greater female participation than in operational profiles,” the report states. Additionally, among the barriers are also cultural biases, the balance of shifts in the field and family, tasks specific to this activity, and the evident gender gaps in Colombian higher education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

 The report also shows that women have lower participation in managerial positions, as while in lower responsibility positions and starting their professional careers, women represent 35.1% of the employed workforce, this participation decreases at higher levels of responsibility, reaching less than 20.1% in the executive levels of companies in the sector.

In light of this situation, the report compiles some of the actions that companies are implementing in order to close the gender gap. Mainly, companies are working on: building policies and a corporate culture for diversity and gender equity, implementing programs such as the Labor Equity Seal Equipares promoted by the National Government and the Aequales Par Ranking, executing gender violence prevention programs to promote a safe environment and women's interest in the industry, and setting goals for women's participation in managerial positions.

“Although the road ahead is long, there are significant advances in actions taken by companies, the Government, and initiatives by professionals linked to the sector to close the gender gap in the industry. This is an important discussion for the country, amid issues such as the energy transition, post-pandemic economic reactivation, among other challenges that compel us to generate actions and responses in line with the strategic role that the sector has for the economic and social development of Colombia and the regions where it operates,” emphasized Francisco José Lloreda Mera, Executive President of the ACP.

Gender Equity Forum

 The report was presented this Thursday within the framework of the ACP Gender Equity Forum: a necessary conversation for the oil and gas industry. The event generated discussions around public policy on gender equity in the country, guidelines for the hydrocarbons sector, the benefits of gender equity for the economic growth of countries and the productivity of companies, among others.

The event was attended by government representatives, including the Minister of Labor, Ángel Custodio Cabrera; the Minister of Mines and Energy, Diego Mesa. Additionally, representatives from companies in the sector, experts in gender equity, and opinion leaders participated, contributing to the discussion and reflections on the current situation of the industry regarding gender equity and what the roadmap would be to advance in closing gaps.

Economic report on gender equity 2020