Women are making advances in Canada’s environmental and clean technology sector, according to StatsCan.
In a sector which contributed gross domestic product (GDP) of US$73.1 billion in 2021 – the most recent statistics published by StatsCan – equivalent to 2.9% of Canada’s overall GDP, women saw their presence in the industry increase in number by 2.2 percentages points from 2009. Women now account for 28.6% of the sector’s overall workforce of 314,257 people.
More women (30.5%) in this sector worked in service-providing positions, and fewer (24.8%) in the goods-producing positions of the industry.
Salaries in the ECT sector were higher than the average in Canada, though the gender gap is still the order of the day, with women earning 16.3% less than men on an hourly basis. However, the gender pay gap decreased by 2.7 percentage points from 2009 to 2021.
This is despite women in environmental and clean technology’s higher educational attainment, with 6 out of 10 women holding either a college diploma (25.5%) or a university degree or higher (41.1%). Men working in the sector were less likely to hold a college diploma (20.2%) or a university degree or higher (24.2%).
The number of older women (55 and older) working in the ECT sector increased from 18.4% in 2009 to 22.3% in 2021, though the gender pay gap in this cohort is highest, at 20.8%. However, the gender pay gap among the 55-68 age cohort in ECT declined substantially since 2009, when it was calculated to be 36.8%.
The pay gap may be a reflection of women’s lower enrollment in trade certificate programs, Statscan said. While 35.4% of all jobs in the sector were trades, transport and equipment operators, women only held 7% of these jobs. Women were also less likely to be employed in jobs that required STEM credentials, holding only 21% of these jobs.
Management levels of clean tech in Canada were also very male-dominated, according to an Osler report. In 2022, listed clean technology companies had an average of 2 women on their boards (ranking behind the utilities and pipelines sector, as well as the financial services sector.) Also in 2022, clean technology companies ranked fourth among other industries for the percentage of women directors (behind utilities and pipelines, communication and media, and financial services).
The rates of Canadian women’s participation in the energy sector worldwide are lower than the global rate of 32%.
“The sector remains male-dominated and unrepresentative of the workforce,” the Institute of Sustainability Studies said in a March 2024 report. “Given that women are the most impacted by the energy crisis, it seems only right that they can act as agents of change and be part of the solution.”
Companies operating in the cleantech can take several steps to improve recruitment, retention, and promotion of women employees, organizations like Women in Renewable Energy (WIRE) and Women in Cleantech and Sustainability.
In recruitment, companies and organizations can partner with women-focused cleantech organizations to bring in new staff and network, while also creating a clear initiative within the organization to prioritize bringing women on board. Companies can also ensure that hiring panels include women, and encourage HR practitioners to remove names while screening for interviews.
Employers in cleantech can also make strides in making their workspaces more egalitarian in several ways, these groups say. Creating mentorship and sponsorship programs to guide women through promotion and in-company networking would improve retention and promotion rates, while connecting them with powerful executives who can advocate for these workers.
Flexible work policies would also go a long way in reducing stress for many women in this sector, and give them more of an opportunity to balance home and work responsibilities.
Companies must also be transparent in their commitment to equal pay, resolving to pay both genders equally and without bias.
