Throughout history, women have played a key role in engineering development, scientific breakthroughs, technological innovations, and mathematical solutions, where personalities like Marie Curie, Ada Lovelace, Marissa Mayer, or Mary Kenneth have excelled.
However, according to UNESCO data, women account for only 33% of people engaged in the STEM sector, who have to overcome cultural and social barriers as well as professional biases for their work to be seen.
Gender equality has always been a priority for Iberdrola México. Offering spaces, tools, and policies that empower our women contributes decisively not only to our development as a company but also to the progress we make every day toward achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals, to which we are strongly committed.
To celebrate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we share a couple of reflections from the members of Iberdrola Group’s staff:
Carla Hernández – Manager of Renewable Projects – Iberdrola México
In 2015, there were five of us in my team. I was the first woman in the division. Today, there are 35 of us, (…) and we continue to open more doors for women in the sector.
Leticia Mijangos – Head of Commercial Systems Support – Iberdrola México
I have been with the company since its very first projects in Mexico (…) I believe that in work and life, you should always leave a mark, a memory, a way of being or doing things so that you are remembered.
Rita King – Senior Director of Electric Utility Focused on Innovation, AVANGRID – USA
One of the most influential people in my career has been my father. I lost him many years ago, but he was instrumental in my decisions when I was figuring out what I wanted to do with my life. He said, «Have you considered studying engineering? Why don’t you consider it?» He had faith in me. And even when I struggled, no matter what was happening or how bad it seemed, he reminded me that life goes on, this moment will also pass, and things will be better tomorrow. His words are often a source of resilience for me. When the going gets tough, I think of him.
Laura Porto – Director of Renewables at Neoenergia – Brazil
Good progress has been made in the field of gender equality in organizations, and in Neoenergia we have many female representatives in distinct positions and levels of the organization. There are well-structured initiatives, such as the School of Electricians for women, but even before this we were fully aware of the benefits offered by diversity through gender equality (…), but I also think it is important not to stop at the progress we have made so far. I am sure that diversity drives disruptive and inclusive solutions, which is important for us to continue growing in a sustainable way.
Iberdrola Group: The global benchmark for promoting women in STEM
At Iberdrola Group we encourage the development of STEM careers among women in the countries in which we operate. To continue bringing female talent, we implement several programs that foster this type of courses in the different countries where the group has a presence.
For example, in Mexico we have Impulso STEM (STEM Boost) in place, an initiative that seeks to encourage engineering and technical education among women in Oaxaca, as well as our annual “Women with Energy” forum, a space for dialogue between employees to drive initiatives to enable narrowing the gender gap.
Science and technology are not a matter of gender. As is the case in our organization and in the world, women engineers make a major contribution to competitiveness and development.
We invite you to learn more about Iberdrola’s initiatives around the world in this link
