‘Boys’ club culture’ is holding back women in utilities

Three fifths of women working in utilities say they feel unconscious bias is holding them back in their careers, with concerns over a “boys’ club” culture in the sector, a new study has revealed.

A survey of more than 300 women commissioned by the Womens Utilities Network (WUN) aimed to gain an understanding of how women feel about working in the sector.

WUN, which has a membership of more than 3,500, provides practical support to women across the sector through events, mentoring and podcasts.

Participants in WUN’s survey represented a range of ages, seniority, specialisms and types of organisation. The results were presented in a white paper titled Listening to different perspectives: How women feel about working in the utilities sectors.

It highlighted figures from the Energy and Utilities Skills Partnership which show just 17% of the sector workforce is female, compared to the UK average of 47%.

Additionally the sector has a bigger than average gender pay gap -19% in favour of men compared with the 15% national average.

A key issue identified in the research was unconscious bias within companies, with 60% of respondents saying they felt this was holding them back in their career.

Specifically, the report mentions a “traditionally male, ‘boys’ club’ company culture, which has yet to challenge its own assumptions” as being one of the key barriers to progress.

“Sadly, our respondents’ comments around what they feel is holding them back makes for dispiriting reading. From the ‘bias towards the capacity of a woman to take strategic decisions’ to ‘the resilience to keep going when I feel like I’m not being listened to by a sector of male colleagues’, the comments paint a vivid picture of the difficulties women feel because of their gender,” the report said.

Another key factor listed was a lack of confidence or “imposter syndrome” where women said they doubted their own abilities.

Elsewhere, 50% said they felt company culture hindered their career progression and the report said it is clear that men must be held accountable for their support in tackling archaic attitudes, which do not belong in the modern workplace.

To this end, one respondent said it is critical that behaviour that “hinders or minimises the efforts of women” is called out.

Additionally a greater commitment to working flexibly, challenging men’s perceptions, and promoting the opportunities for women in utilities in local schools were all highlighted as ways to overcome attitudes and deliver new opportunities.

The report concludes with five steps to help the sector become a more female-friendly environment:

More positive female role models in senior positions

To achieve this, qualified women must be interviewed for every open leadership role. Women already in senior positions must be championed by their organisations, while the companies themselves must be aware of their own beliefs and bias which may be holding women back.

More networking and support for women working in utilities

Networking and support for women should be actively encouraged. Networking, it added,  can be “hugely influential” and could lay the foundations for mentorship programmes, helping to accelerate a woman’s professional development.

Flexible working patterns and role adaptation are essential for women throughout their careers

Flexibility at work can help women effectively juggle both work and home commitments. The report stressed that this does not mean they will be any less productive at work. If anything, it said, they expect to work harder than their male counterparts to prove their worth.

It is the culture and environment, not the women, that need fixing

All employees must “acknowledge and understand” their role in creating an inclusive work environment, while organisations  should nurture environments where women can seize leadership opportunities

The paper suggested reverse mentoring such as pairing an experienced male leader with a younger female mentor. Both parties, it said, will gain valuable insights, helping to tackle attitudes and processes in a business.

“Finally, there needs to be recognition that female perspectives and opinions are different from dominant male perspectives, and they need to be listened to,” it added.

Organisations need a more inclusive hiring and development process

A consideration of how businesses can overcome traditional barriers to encouraging women into the industry must be included “right from the very beginning” of the hiring process.

Recruitment strategies need to be creative and jobs should be advertised in places that will generate more applications from women.

Job descriptions and hiring panels meanwhile must not be unconsciously biased, while outreach programmes must be tracked to monitor the candidates that recruitment strategies are bringing in. If women are not represented, the process must be adapted.