OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN IN THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY
By Tabitha Gachuchi
When I started working on this article, I quickly realized that all the research done about this industry the world over shows that there aren’t many women in the oil and gas industry. In fact, according to an article on catalyst.org, published that in Africa and the Middle East women only account for 9% of the workforce in the oil and gas industry. These numbers are very surprising, considering that women make up half the population.
Most people think that women are reluctant to work in physically intensive jobs, technical jobs, or industries. This is a long held stereotype that needs to be proven wrong. The research simply means that more women need to be educated about the advantages and opportunities in this industry.
When one thinks of oil and gas, we think outdoors, pipelines, mines, and generally physical labor. People assume that women do not want to work in these conditions and they are wrong. And this assumption is the same reason why women should plan and make careers out of this industry. The oil and gas industry is a challenging, rewarding, and a well-paying sector and more women should get into it.
Women Should No Longer Be Shy to Study the STEM Subjects
More women should be encouraged to study the STEM subjects. Studying Science Technology and Math subjects will give the women who have studied these subjects an edge over the men in the industry. While getting entry level jobs, if a person has studied an engineering degree they are more likely to be given a position in a technical area or a field position as opposed to administrative roles and further down the line, the person has a higher chance of being promoted than a person who hasn’t studied STEM subjects.
Affirmative Action
Women make up half of the population, so it is only logical that they make up half of the workforce. However, that is not the case and it is a clear indication that something needs to be done to uplift women. Affirmative action is defined as by the online dictionary as “(in the context of the allocation of resources or employment) the practice or policy of favoring individuals belonging to groups known to have been discriminated against previously; positive discrimination.” Companies should have a policy to include women in their workforce, increased diversity has many advantages for a company, some of the advantages of diversity include;
Increased creativity
Higher innovation
Variety of different perspectives
Higher employee engagement
Educating Women About the Opportunities in the Industry
With information about the oil and gas industry women would be motivated to invest their time, energy and resources in a career in this industry. With this career, the chances of working outdoors are increased, as it is part of the job to travel from one location to the next looking for new oil mines or new sites to explore. Therefore, you will not be sitting in an office doing mundane tasks. The other advantage is rewarding and intelligent work assignments. The work involves exploration, thinking about new sits, where to mine and how. All this involves thought processes that will keep one engaged and motivated.
The other advantage is the industry is well paying.
While there are some disadvantages in working in a male dominated field, the advantages greatly outweigh the disadvantages. I hope more women will invest their time and energy in the oil industry.
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Wambui Gichuhi <tabithagichuhi@gmail.com