Female engineers at Red Eléctrica represent today 12% of our staff. There was only one female engineer at the foundation of the company but female presence has increased by 41% in the last 10 years. Today there are already 222 female engineers working in different areas and doing their jobs under equal conditions.
On International Women in Engineering Day, companies, investors and the whole word is aware that this profession should not have any gender bias. Therefore, Red Eléctrica keeps moving forward towards equality and diversity and continues to promote mechanisms to drive the presence of women at the organisation, among them female engineers, and their promotion to managing positions and positions of responsibility.
The path has been long, but highly positive. When Red Eléctrica started, there was only one female engineer among its staff. Over the time this figure was slowly increasing until48 the first ten years of the millennium, when there was a quantity change and the number went from 30 to 158 in 2010. This is clear reference to the effort made by the company through its equality and diversity policies which have been moving forward up until now.
Ten years later, we are still continuing. Today there are 41% more female engineers at Red Eléctrica than in 2010, representing 12% of total staff, reaching a total of 222 professionals carrying out their job without any gender distinction.
Driving equality and diversity
Promoting and driving a corporate culture that favours diversity and eliminates stereotypes and unconscious bias are behind the Comprehensive Diversity Plan under which the company works and which consolidates its commitment to diversity in knowledge, experiences and gender.
Evidence of this is that since 2010 Red Eléctrica has been part of the network of companies with the seal “Equality in the Workplace” awarded by the Ministry of Equality, and works with the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAI) in the creation of female STEM talent through a mentoring scheme for female university students in technical careers.
In addition, the company has recently been recognised as the best Ibex35 company in gender equality, in accordance to the report drafted by Equileap, and is ranked in 12th position among the best 20 European companies with a global grading of 61%, in which Spain receives a grading of 46%, whereas the European average stands at 43%.
Distinguishing women for their integration in a sector that has traditionally been reserved to men is the reason for the Women’s Engineering Society to celebrate this day every 23rd of June since 2014, in order to raise awareness among women about their professional possibilities and opportunities in this field that is so essential for transforming the world. Many women are already integrated in the engineering sector and are achieving great goals. However, this cannot stop here, so the industry and the companies are becoming more and more inclusive, ensuring that engineering offers equal opportunities to be able to grow together.
