Co-Chairs of AXIS Network Sarah Clark and Emma Behjat
This International Women’s Day we’ve chosen to reflect on the United Nations’ theme; Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress and taken some time to consider whether the level of investment in diversity, equity and inclusion within the energy industry is driving a rate of progress which will see gender equity by 2030.
The Sustainable Development Agenda, adopted by UN Member States, including the UK in 2015, set the Sustainable Development Goal #5 with a 2030 deadline for the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.
AXIS is an industry body focused on gender equity. We take a multifaceted approach to doing this which includes shining a spotlight on some fantastic examples of DE&I within the industry through our case studies and role model stories. There is no doubt that there are areas of excellence across the sector and we love sharing this good practice so that others can learn from it.
But are these just pockets of excellence or have we seen real and tangible progress across the whole sector?
The Gender Pay Gap (GPG) reporting deadline is not for another month, AXIS will release an analysis of the industry figures in early April to reflect on our collective progress. GPG will be an area of focus for AXIS in 2024, reflecting the UN theme and recognising that these measurements provide a good indication of rate of change.
Many commentators state it will take years to shift the dial, but one thing is for certain, if we don’t act decisively now, we will never see any progress.
That is why AXIS will be launching Vision 2030: Gender Equity. We will ask industry representatives what gender equity in 2030 looks like and define actions that we must take now to meet these goals. This series will conclude with an overall industry strategy rolling in Q3 of this year. We’re expecting this to be a fun and informative series so please keep an eye out for it, we’re due to kick it off in early May.
AXIS also has plans for two mentoring cohorts this year, our first has already launched and the second will be later in the year. As ever, this is a free programme which is open to our members and we appreciate all the effort and engagement from both our mentors and mentees.
We are planning three events for 2024; a mix between those targeted at supporting our network and some bigger events with special guests. Finally we have ambitious plans for our pledge companies and we look forward to engaging with you soon.
In the meantime, this International Women’s Day, we ask you to reflect on your own personal actions and those of your company and ensure we are all accelerating progress towards gender equity.
Ask yourself; what sort of world do you want 2030 to be? Together, we can make it happen. The time to make that change is now.
If you’re planning to share any corporate messages to mark this day, we ask that you follow the United Nations agenda and share their hashtag #InvestInWomen