The challenges for gender diversity and inclusion in the wind energy industry and the ESG perspective of organizations

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.37497/esg.v7iesg.1619

Keywords:

Gender Diversity and Inclusion, ESG, Wind Energy Industry, Renewable energy

Abstract

Context: Gender Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) has been a challenge for the energy and renewable energy industry. The wind energy industry has carried out a series of practices and initiatives to fulfil ESG criteria - environmental, social and governance, however the topic of D&I is still a paradigm for sector organizations.

 Objective: This paper aims to present how the wind industry can promote D&I to meet ESG criteria, specifically, mapping industry challenges to promote D&I practices.

Method: The research methodology is a qualitative case study with 10 semi-structured interviews from different executive and managerial positions in organizations in the wind energy sector.

Results: The results demonstrated that there are a series of challenges and some ongoing practices, but the gap between these practices and initiatives and the culture of organizations is still a sectoral bottleneck.

Contribution: The scientific and practical contribution of the research lies in presenting a kaleidoscope with 5 main challenges for continuing the discussion of D&I in companies, as well as 10 practices reported by interviewees that unfold into a roadmap for the global wind sector.

Author Biographies

Matheus Eurico Soares de Noronha , Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing (ESPM), São Paulo

Postdoctoral Scientist in Strategy, Innovation and New Technologies at Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing (ESPM SP 2023-2024). PhD in Strategy and Innovation at the Escola Superior de Propaganda Marketing (ESPM SP - 2019 - 2022) - CAPES Scholarship. Master in Business Administration from the Consumer Behavior Program at ESPM (2019). Graduated in Advertising, Propaganda and Marketing from Mackenzie University (2016). He was a visiting scholar at Universität Hamburg in Germany at the Albretch Mendelssohn Bartholdy Graduate School of Law research center. He is interested in the areas of innovation, strategy, international business, dynamic skills, marketing skills and entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems. He developed research in the area of ​​energy efficiency and consumption of certified products as a masters research. Currently, in his doctorate, he conducts research on the accelerating ecosystem and the development of international skills of companies in the initial phase. Works in the field of market intelligence at the Brazilian Wind Energy Association (ABEEólica) (2014- Current)

Juliana de Almeida Yanaguizawa Lucena, Instituto Federal de Pernambuco – Campus Ipojuca, Pernambuco

Degree in Production Engineering from the Polytechnic School of the University of São Paulo (2001), a Master's Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Federal University of Pernambuco (2003) and a PhD in Energy and Nuclear Technologies from the Federal University of Pernambuco (2008). She has professional experience as a production engineer in the metal packaging industry and wind turbine blades industry. She is a full professor at the Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Pernambuco (IFPE), Campus Ipojuca, since December 2008, developing teaching, research and extension activities, with emphasis on production management, materials, energy and sustainability.

Letícia Jahn Souza , University of Santa Catarina (UDESC), Santa Catarina

Undergraduate student in Business Administration at the State University of Santa Catarina (UDESC), Santa Catarina (Brazil).

References

ABEEólica (Associação Brasileira de Energia Eólica e Novas Tecnologias) (2023, junho). Infovento n. 31. https://abeeolica.org.br/energia-eolica/dados-abeeolica/

Agência Brasil (2022). Geração instantânea de energia eólica no Nordeste tem novo recorde. https://agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br/geral/noticia/2022-07/geracao-instantanea-de-energia-eolica-no-nordeste-tem-novo-recorde

Ali, M., Metz, I. & Kulik, C. T. (2015). The Impact of work family programs on the relationship between gender diversity and performance. Human Resource Management, 54, 553-576.

Allen, E., Lyons, H. & Stephens, J. C. (2019). Women’s leadership in renewable transformation, energy justice and energy democracy: Redistributing power. Energy Research & Social Science, 57, 101233.

Alves, J. E. D. (2014). Energia renovável com baixa emissão de carbono. Cadernos Adenauer XV, 3, 11-28.

Arvidsson, S. & Dumay, J. (2022). Corporate ESG reporting quantity, quality and performance: Where to now for environmental policy and practice? Business Strategy and the Environment, 31 (3), 1091-1110.

Atkins, J., Doni, F., Gasperini, A., Artuso, S., La Torre, I. & Sorrentino, L. (2023). Exploring the effectiveness of sustainability measurement: which ESG metrics will survive COVID-19? Journal of Business Ethics, 185 (3), 629-646.

Azungah, T. (2018). Qualitative research: deductive and inductive approaches to data analysis. Qualitative Research Journal, 18 (4), 383-400.

Baratta, A., Cimino, A., Longo, F., Solina, V. & Verteramo, S. (2023). The impact of ESG practices in industry with a focus on carbon emissions: Insights and future perspectives. Sustainability, 15 (8), 6685.

Barbosa, A. S., Silva, M. C. B. C., Silva, L. B., Morioka, S. N. & Souza, V. F. (2023). Integration of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) criteria: their impacts on corporate sustainability performance. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 10 (1), 1-18.

Barbosa, G. G. (2016). Recursos naturais renováveis e produção de energia. Revista Política Hoje, 23 (1), 193-215.

Baruah, B. (2016). Renewable inequity? Women's employment in clean energy in industrialized, emerging and developing economies. A United Nations Sustainable Development Journal, 41, 18-29. https://doi.org/10.1111/1477-8947.12105

Borges, B. (2024). Estimativas dos impactos dinâmicos do setor eólico sobre a economia brasileira. https://abeeolica.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Estudo-Braulio_final.pdf

Canal Energia (2022). Presença feminina cresceu, mas é de apenas 33% em renováveis. https://www.canalenergia.com.br/noticias/53204522/presenca-feminina-cresceu-mas-e-de-apenas-33-em-renovaveis

Castilho, F. (2022, janeiro). Onda de energias renováveis no Nordeste faz Pernambuco entrar no "top five" da geração no país. Jornal do Comércio. https://jc.ne10.uol.com.br/colunas/jc-negocios/2022/01/14928320-onda-de-energias-renovaveis-no-nordeste-faz-pernambuco-entrar-no-top-five-da-geracao-no-pais.html?utm_source=fb-ne10

Cek, K. & Eyupoglu, S. (2020). Does environmental, social and governance performance influence economic performance? J. Bus. Econ. Manag., 21, 1165–1184. http://doi.org/10.3846/jbem.2020.12725

Cho, Y., Kim, S., You, J., Moon, H. & Sung, H. (2021). Application of ESG measures for gender diversity and equality at the organizational level in a Korean context. European Journal of Training and Development, 45 (4/5), 346-365.

Cipriano, K. & Cabral, C. R. (2022). ESG na indústria de Óleo e Gás - Importância da mentoria na diversidade de gênero. In Rio Oil & Gas 2022, Brasil, Rio de Janeiro. https://doi.org/10.48072/2525-7579.rog.2022.437

Czako, V. (2020). Employment in the Energy Sector. Joint Research Centre, Publications Office of the European Union. https://doi.org/10.2760/95180

Demsetz, H. & Lehn, K. (1985). The Structure of Corporate Ownership: Causes and Consequences. Journal of Political Economy, 93 (6), 1155-1177. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1833178

Drisko, J. W. & Maschi, T. (2016). Content analysis. Pocket Guide to Social Work Re.

Falcão, J. B. L., Strapasson, A. B., Costa, H. K. M., Masulino, N. W. N. & Barbosa, M. C. B. (2019) Energy & Gender: An assessment on gender equality in the energy sector in Brazil. Technical report commissioned by the British Embassy in Brazil in collaboration with the UK Prosperity Fund: Energy Programme. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.19253.52964

FIERN (Federação das Indústrias do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte) (2021). SENAI-RN apresenta estratégias para aumentar diversidade no setor de energia eólica. https://www.fiern.org.br/senai-rn-apresenta-estrategias-para-aumentar-diversidade-no-setor-de-energia-eolica/

Fraune, C. (2015). Gender matters: Women, renewable energy, and citizen participation in Germany. Energy Research & Social Science, 7, 55-65. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2015.02.005

Freeman, R.E. (2015). Strategic Management: A Stakeholder Approach. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139192675

Garg, S. & Sangwan, S. (2021). Literature Review on Diversity and Inclusion at Workplace. Vision, 25 (1), 12–22. https://doi.org/10.1177/0972262920959523

Gil, A. C. (2008). Métodos e técnicas de pesquisa social. São Paulo: Editora Atlas, 6. ed., 248p.

Gupy (2023). 35 dicas de planos de ação para Diversidade e Inclusão. https://info.gupy.io/materiais/ebook/planos-de-acao-para-diversidade-e-inclusao

GWEC (Global Wind Energy Council) (2023). Global Wind Report. https://gwec.net/globalwindreport2023/

GWEC (Global Wind Energy Council) (2020). Wind Power a Cornerstone of the Global Economic Recovery: Re-building Better for the future. https://gwec.net/wind-industry-statement-on-economic-recovery-from-covid-19/

GWNET (Global Women’s Network for the Energy Transition) (2019). Women for Sustainable Energy: Strategies to Foster Women’s Talent for Transformational. https://www.globalwomennet.org/women-for-sustainable-energy/

Hafiz, K. (2008). Case Study Example. The Qualitative Report, 13 (4), 544-559.

IIRC (International Integrated Reporting Council) (2021). International Framework. https://integratedreporting.ifrs.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/InternationalIntegratedReportingFramework.pdf

IRENA (International Renewable Energy Agency) (2021). Renewable Energy and Jobs. Annual Review. https://www.irena.org/publications/2021/Oct/Renewable-Energy-and-Jobs-Annual-Review-2021

IRENA (International Renewable Energy Agency) (2020). Renewable Energy and Jobs. Annual Review. https://www.irena.org/publications/2020/Sep/Renewable-Energy-and-Jobs-Annual-Review-2020

IRENA (International Renewable Energy Agency) (2020). Wind Energy: A Gender Perspective. https://www.irena.org/publications/2020/Jan/Wind-energy-A-gender-perspective

IRENA (International Renewable Energy Agency) (2020). Tracking SDG 7: The Energy Progress Report. https://www.irena.org/publications/2020/May/Tracking-SDG7-The-Energy-Progress-Report-2020

Jacobi, P. (2003). Educação ambiental, cidadania e sustentabilidade. Cadernos de Pesquisa, 189-206.

Kakabadse, N. K., Figueira, C., Nicolopoulou, K., Yang, J. H., Kakabadse, A. P. & Özbilgin, M. F. (2015). Gender Diversity and Board Performance: Women's Experiences and Perspectives. Human Resource Management, 54, 265-281. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.21694

Kallio, H., Pietilä, A. M., Johnson, M. & Kangasniemi, M. (2016). Systematic Methodological Review: Developing a Framework for a Qualitative Semi‐structured Interview Guide. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 72 (12), 2954-2965.

Keeley, A.R., Chapman, A. J., Yoshida, K., Xie, J., Imbulana, J., Takeda, S. & Managi, S. (2022). ESG metrics and social equity: Investigating commensurability. Front. Sustain., 3. https://doi.org/10.3389/frsus.2022.920955

Kim, H., Sefcik, J. S. & Bradway, C. (2017). Characteristics of qualitative descriptive studies: A systematic review. Research in Nursing & Health, 40 (1), 23-42.

Kreitz, P. A. (2008). Best practices for managing organizational diversity. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 34 (2), 101-120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2007.12.001

Kronemberger, D.M.P. (2019). Os desafios da construção dos indicadores ODS globais. Ciênc.e Cultura, 71 (1), 40-45.

Li, J. & Wu, D. (2020). Do corporate social responsibility engagements lead to real environmental, social, and governance impact? Manage. Sci., 66, 2564–2588. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2019.3324

Lucena, J.A.Y. (2021). Recent advances and technology trends of wind turbines. In Recent Advances in Renewable Energy Technologies, Academic Press, 177-210, ISBN 9780323910934. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-91093-4.00009-3

Lucena, J.A.Y. & Lucena, K.A.A. (2019). Wind energy in Brazil: an overview and perspectives under the triple bottom line. Clean Energy, 3 (2), 69-84. https://doi.org/10.1093/ce/zkz001

Lucena, J. A. Y. (2023). Energia Eólica. Florianópolis: ENBPar/ IFSC, 4, 134 p. ISBN 978-65-981191-9-5.

Lucena, J. A. Y. (2023). Mulheres na Eólica: relato de experiência de um projeto de extensão tecnológica entre o Instituto Federal de Pernambuco e empresas do setor eólico brasileiro. In Brazil Wind Power Papers 2023.

Luo, L. & Tang, Q. (2023). The real effects of ESG reporting and GRI standards on carbon mitigation: International evidence. Business Strategy and the Environment, 32 (6), 2985-3000.

Mendes, A. S. J. (2016). Diversidade de Género e Desempenho: Uma Revisão Sistemática de Literatura (Dissertação de Mestrado em Ciências Empresariais). Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal.

Nagelkerken, I. & Connell, S. D. (2015). Global alteration of ocean ecosystem functioning due to increasing human CO2 emissions. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 112 (43), 13272-13277.

Nakagawa, M. H. (2012). A sustentabilidade na estratégia de negócio das empresas brasileiras (Dissertação de Mestrado em Administração). Programa de Estudos Pós-Graduados em Administração, Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo, Brasil.

Neto, F. P. & Cândido, G. A. (2020). Sustentabilidade corporativa: definição de indicadores para organizações do setor energético. Revista de Gestão dos Países de Língua Portuguesa, 19 (2), 104-126.

Nishitani, K., Nguyen, T. B. H, Trinh, T. Q, Wu, Q. & Kokubu, K. (2021). Are corporate environmental activities to meet sustainable development goals (SDGs) simply greenwashing? An empirical study of environmental management control systems in Vietnamese companies from the stakeholder management perspective. J. Environ. Manage., 296, 113364. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2021

Nkomo, S. M. & Cox Jr., T. C. (1999). Diversidade e identidade nas organizações. In Handbook de Estudos Organizacionais. São Paulo: Atlas, 334-360.

Noland, M., Moran, T. & Kotschawar, B. (2016). Is Gender Diversity Profitable? Evidence from a Global Survey. Working Paper Series. Peterson Institute for International Economics.

Noronha, M. & Martins, J. (2022). O ESG e os Caminhos para Transição Energética. Inovação e Sustentabilidade para Transição Energética. São Paulo: Editora clássica, 57-62.

Noronha, M. E. S., Martins, J. B. N., Lietti, T. & Silva, R. D. S. V. (2022). A agilidade organizacional e a difusão de inovação tecnológica das empresas cleantech. Revista Inteligência Competitiva, 12 (1).

Noronha, M. E. S., Silva, R. S. V., Rodrigues, J. C., Valente, L. L. & Souza, L. J. (2022). Sustentabilidade 4.0. Journal of Urban Technology and Sustainability, 5 (1).

Noronha, M. E. S. de, Silva, R., & Borges, F. M. (2023). Certifications in Consumer Chain: The Consumerist Attitude and Sustainability. Journal of Lifestyle and SDGs Review, 3(00), e01667. https://doi.org/10.37497/2965-730X.SDGsReview.v3.n00.pe01667

Offshore Wind Industry Council (2020). Diversity & Inclusion: focusing on gender and ethnicity in the offshore wind sector. https://www.globalwomennet.org/

Opstrup, N. & Villadsen, A. R. (2014). The Right Mix? Gender Diversity in Top Management Teams and Financial Performance. Public Administration Review, 75, 291-301.

Pacto Global & Stilingue (2021). A evolução do ESG no Brasil. https://d335luupugsy2.cloudfront.net cms%2Ffiles%2F150560%2F1619627473Estudo_A_Evoluo_do_ESG_no_Brasil.pdf

Paranhos, B. R., Silva, F. C. & Cataldi, M. (2017). A energia eólica como alternativa energética para agricultura familiar em regiões serranas. Ciência e Natura, 39 (1), 193-201.

Pearl-Martinez, R. & Stephens, J. C. (2016). Toward a gender diverse workforce in the renewable energy transition. Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy, 12 (1), 8-15.

Pereira, L. V. (2022). ESG: Gestão da cadeia de fornecimento e responsabilidade da alta administração pela má supervisão de seus contratos. In Rio Oil & Gas 2022. Brasil, Rio de Janeiro.

Perryman, A. A., Fernando, G. D. & Tripathy, A. (2015). Do gender differences persist? An examination of gender diversity on firm performance, risk, and executive compensation. Journal of Business Research, 69, 579-586.

Portilho, F. (2005). Consumo sustentável: limites e possibilidades de ambientalização e politização das práticas de consumo. Cadernos EBAPE BR, 3 (3). https://doi.org/10.1590/S1679-39512005000300005

Rajesh, R. (2020). Exploring the sustainability performances of firms using environmental, social, and governance scores. J. Cleaner Prod., 247, 119600. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.119600

Ryan, M. K. & Haslam, S. A. (2005). The Glass Cliff: Evidence that Women are Over-Represented in Precarious Leadership Positions. British Journal of Management, 16 (2), 81-90. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8551.2005.00433.x

Sabharwal, M. (2015). From Glass Ceiling to Glass Cliff: Women in Senior Executive Service. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 25 (2), 399–426. https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/mut030

Sandelowski, M. (2000). Whatever Happened to Qualitative Description? Research in Nursing & Health, 23 (4), 334-340. doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/1098-240x(200008)23:4%3C334::aid-nur9%3E3.0.co;2-g

SASB (Sustainability Accounting Standards Board) (2021). Why investors use SASB Standards. https://sasb.org/investor-use/

Seixas, C. S., Prado, D. S., Joly, C. A., May, P. H., Neves, E. M. S. C. & Teixeira, L. R. (2020). Governança ambiental no Brasil: rumo aos objetivos do desenvolvimento sustentável (ODS). Cadernos Gestão Públ. e Cidadania, 25 (81).

Shore, L. M., Randel, A. E., Chung, B. G., Dean, M. A., Ehrhart, K. H. & Singh, G. (2010). Inclusion and Diversity in Work Groups: A Review and Model for Future Research. Journal of Management, 37 (4), 1262-1289. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206310385943

Silva, A. de O., & Janes, D. dos S. (2020). Exploring the role of artificial intelligence in education: a comprehensive perspective. Review of Artificial Intelligence in Education, 1, e5. https://doi.org/10.37497/rev.artif.intell.education.v1i00.5

Simas, M. & Pacca, S. (2013). Energia eólica, geração de empregos e desenvolvimento sustentável. Estudos Avançados, 27, 99-116.

Singh, V. & Vinnicombe, S. (2004). Why So Few Women Directors in Top UK Boardrooms? Evidence and Theoretical Explanations. Corporate Governance, 12, 479 488.

Tolmasquim, M. T., Guerreiro, A. & Gorini, R. (2007). Matriz energética brasileira: uma prospectiva. Novos estudos CEBRAP, 47-69.

Ventura, M. M. (2007). O estudo de caso como modalidade de pesquisa. Revista SoCERJ, 20 (5), 383-386.

Xu, J., Liu, F. & Shang, Y. (2021). R&D investment, ESG performance and green innovation performance: evidence from China. Kybernetes, 50 (3), 737-756.

Yildiz, S. & Mural, M.F. (2019). A Cultural Perspective of The Glass Cliff Phenomenon. Ege Academic Review, 19 (3), 309-321. https://doi.org/10.21121/eab.451162

Yin, R. K. (1994). Discovering the Future of the Case Study. Method in Evaluation Research. Evaluation Practice, 15 (3), 283-290. https://doi.org/10.1177/109821409401500309

Yin R. K. (2015), Estudo de Caso: Planejamento e métodos. Porto Alegre: Bookman Editora, 320p.

Zainal, Z. (2007). Case Study as a Research Method. Jurnal Kemanusiaan bil., 9 (1), 1-6. https://bit.ly/2pzfb69

Downloads

Published

2024-07-02

How to Cite

NORONHA , Matheus Eurico Soares de; LUCENA, Juliana de Almeida Yanaguizawa; SOUZA , Letícia Jahn. The challenges for gender diversity and inclusion in the wind energy industry and the ESG perspective of organizations . ESG Studies Review, São Paulo (SP), v. 7, n. esg, p. e01619, 2024. DOI: 10.37497/esg.v7iesg.1619. Disponível em: https://esglawreview.org/convergencias/article/view/1619. Acesso em: 14 dec. 2024.

Most read articles by the same author(s)

Similar Articles

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.