Organisations in the country have been called upon to increase women representation in there executive managerial level. The call was made by the chairperson, Our Women Our Pride, a women’s wing of Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Nigeria Council, Engr. Amina Danmadami.
Engr. Danmadami made the call in a special message to commemorate the International Women’s Day.
According to her, women are commonly underrepresented in the fields of Science, Engineering, Technology and Mathematics (STEM), yet over the years, many have contributed to the various fields of STEM. Buttressing her point, around the theme – #EachforEqual: Unveiling Pathways to Boardroom for Women in Energy, Engr. Amina inferred that several other industries report this albeit in lesser degrees, than others.
March 8 is marked as International Women’s Day (IWD). A day set aside to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women all over the world. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. The day has occurred for well over a century, with the first IWD gathering in 1911 supported by over a million people in many countries.
According to her, “there have been so many initiatives to address Gender Inequality by several quarters. Noteworthy is the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal Number 5, which is to ‘Achieve Gender Equality and Empower all Women and Girls by 2030’.”
The chairperson also pleaded with CEOs and everyone “to continue the commitment towards building diverse and inclusive organizations that challenge stereotypes and bias.
The race she said, is on for the gender-equal boardrooms and workplaces especially in STEM, adding that “why does it matter? Studies by leading global consulting groups have found that companies with a higher proportion of female executives showed stronger financial performance than those with no women in top positions… So what are we waiting for? Gender balance is not a women’s issue, it is an economic issue.”
SPE International headquartered in the USA has a committee: The Women in Energy Committee (WIN), dedicated to promoting gender diversity in E&P and creates opportunities for women to enable them to step into leadership roles and pursue their career goals.
In the same line, the SPE Nigeria Council has an equivalent committee, named ‘Our Women Our Pride’ which has the prime objective of encouraging more females to leadership in the E&P industry.
“Indeed, men are truly our allies …in SPE, they have been advocates and champions of the change that has played a significant role in accelerating women’s equality,” Engr. Amina emphatically stated in conclusion.