ISES Webinar on the Solar PV: A Gender Perspective

Gender equality is not only an intrinsic human right and a core development objective, but also an instrument for development. The solar photovoltaic (PV) industry is the largest employer within the renewable energy sector, accounting for some 4.3 million jobs. If the solar business does not include a gender lens to incorporate more women, the industry is at risk of excluding a talent pool that is integral to its growth.

The Gender Perspective series is a key part of IRENA’s extensive research work on the effects of renewable energy deployment during energy transitions. Since 2017, IRENA has explored opportunities to improve the gender balance in the global energy transformation, first by deploying a gender lens in most of the agency’s publications dealing with the socio-economics of the energy transition, and second by researching ways to maximise the socio-economic dividends of gender mainstreaming in stand-alone reports.

The 2022 report presented in this webinar evaluates the role of women in the solar PV industry using the largest sample of global responses on solar PV energy and gender gathered to date. Based on our survey of some 1300 individuals and organisations, it reports the share of women in the industry (40%), highlights the barriers and opportunities within the sector, and flags the similarities and differences between the solar PV workforce and the previously analysed sectors.

Read the Solar PV: A Gender Perspective report.