SHEDDING LIGHT ON FEMALE TALENT IN LEBANON’S ENERGY SECTOR APRIL 2019 Ali Ahmad, Lory Kantarjian, Hana El Ghali, Elisabeth Maier and Samantha Constant ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ABOUT THE INSTITUTIONS This policy brief is authored by Ali Ahmad (Director, The financial and technical support by the Energy Program on Energy Policy and Security in the Middle East), Sector Management Assistance Program is gratefully Lory Kantarjian (Research Assistant, Program on Energy acknowledged. ESMAP--a global knowledge and technical Policy and Security in the Middle East), and Hana El Ghali assistance program administered by the World Bank— (Director, Program on Education and Youth Policy) of the assists low- and middle-income countries to increase Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International their know-how and institutional capacity to achieve Affairs at the American University of Beirut jointly with environmentally sustainable energy solutions for poverty Elisabeth Maier (Senior Operations Officer, Energy and reduction and economic growth. ESMAP is funded by Extractives Global Practice) and Samantha Constant Australia, Austria, Canada, ClimateWorks Foundation, (Gender Consultant, Middle East and North Africa Denmark, the European Commission, Finland, France, Region) of the World Bank Group under the leadership Germany, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Luxemburg, of Erik Magnus Fernstrom (Practice Manager, Energy and the Netherlands, Norway, the Rockefeller Foundation, Extractives Global Practice). The authors greatly benefited Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the World from peer review by Tu Chi (Energy Economist, Energy Bank. and Extractives Global Practice), Jonna Maria Lundvall (Social Scientist, Poverty Global Practice), and Inka Ivette The AUB’s Issam Fares Institute is an independent, Schomer (Operations Officer, Energy Sector Management research-based, policy-oriented institute. Inaugurated Assistance Program). in 2006, it aims to harness, develop, and initiate policy relevant research in the Arab region. The Institute is committed to expanding and deepening policy-relevant knowledge production in and about the Arab region; and to creating a space for the interdisciplinary exchange of ideas among researchers, civil society, and policy-makers. Copyright 2019 International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank 1818 H Street NW Washington DC 20433 Telephone: 202-273-1000 Internet: www.worldbank.org SHEDDING LIGHT ON FEMALE TALENT IN LEBANON’S ENERGY SECTOR Ali Ahmad, Lory Kantarjian, Hana El Ghali, Elisabeth Maier and Samantha Constant KEY HIGHLIGHTS: However, data on distribution of women in STEM majors mask imbalances in terms of concentration of enrollment in the theoretical sciences compared to applied fields such as engineering. Additionally, in regions poised for Enhanced gender diversity can bring a wide set of benefits deployment of renewable energy projects, such as those to Lebanon’s energy sector by capitalizing on public in rural areas, there is a lack of equitable distribution of investments in education and leveraging an overlooked tertiary education institutions and knowledge centers for pool of talents, generating more inclusive solutions and communities, particularly among women, to access and approaches, and boosting the sector’s reputation. benefit from should they be interested in building their skills in the field. A pipeline of female talent in the energy sector exists in Lebanon with 61 percent of female students in public As such, there is a missed opportunity particularly in universities enrolled in Science, Technology, Engineering, the renewable sub-sector which is a productive field for and Mathematics (STEM) related fields. Furthermore, potential employment of both high-skilled and middle- renewable energy and general energy degree programs skilled female workers across the renewable energy have significantly better female participation than oil and value chain.1 Harnessing female talent through strategic gas degree programs and as such offer an opportunity for investments in educational and training infrastructure as working professionals, including women, to make career well as in affordable, market relevant skills training with shifts and develop skills to compete in the emerging specific attention to attracting rural female talent in regional and domestic green energy market. inland regions will key to getting more women in energy. 1 High skilled workers are referred to as those with post-secondary degrees. 2 ESMAP | Shedding Light On Female Talent in Lebanon’s Energy Sector INTRODUCTION The under-representation of women in the energy sector is a global issue that transcends cultural, regional and technological differences (IRENA, 2018).2 Lebanon is no exception in this regard; however, legal constraints such as Ministerial directives on job restrictions that prevent women from working the same way as men in the energy sector combined with prevailing gender norms and societal expectations on the role of women in the household exacerbate the gender gap in the country’s energy sector (Assy & Sayed, 2018).3 For example, 60 percent of men and 45 percent of women believe that the women’s most important role is to take care of the family (El Feki, Barker, & Heilman, 2017). Beliefs and perceptions of women’s role in society can manifest itself in the way girls and boys are tracked in their educational lifecycle, often leading to gender segregation across fields of study; these gaps are not a result of differences in capabilities but rather created “ Marriage is considered to by social constructs that shape an individual’s access to be the best accomplishment opportunities (Schomer & Hammoud, Forthcoming - 2019). a woman can make after Gender disparities in the energy sector are most visible, when one looks at the job market and become more she gets a degree. Getting pronounced with increased levels of seniority in the married is branded as the workplace. While data on female employment in the sector is limited, overall labor market statistics point to low ‘next step’ after university female labor force participation at 23 percent compared to male rates at 71 percent and female unemployment graduation, rather than hovers at five percent compared to 10 percent among men finding a job, proving (World Bank, n.d.).4 Gaps in entrepreneurship also exist with self-employment among women at 17 percent, less oneself, and aiming for than half that of male entrepreneurship at 43 percent. Such inequities translate to lost earnings and productivity: higher positions.” studies show that for 141 countries, the loss in human capital wealth due to lifetime gender income inequality is Female focus group discussant, approximately USD 160.2 trillion (Schomer & Hammoud, November 2018 Forthcoming - 2019). While some of this is due to demand side constraints such as lack of jobs, higher competition and a skills mismatch attributed to the overall disconnect between what is taught at the universities and demand This policy brief aims to contribute to filling the knowledge of skills in the market, the root causes of gender gaps in gap and presenting a sex-disaggregated snapshot of the workplace stem from the differentiated experiences the distribution of students across energy related higher of students in pre-entry stages in secondary and tertiary education educational programs as well as the traditional education. This is an area of growing interest due to the Science, Technology, Education, and Math (STEM) fields, need of having a better understanding of the pipeline of in tertiary education institutions across Lebanon’s talent in productive fields when we talk about women’s different regions. The objective is to better understand economic empowerment. the “supply” side of female talent, starting with high 2 According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), women’s share of jobs within the energy sector worldwide is between 20 to 25 percent. Even in the renewable energy sector, where gender discrimination is less pronounced, the agency reports a women’s share of 35 percent. In the United States, for example, female employment within the solar energy sector is just 27 percent. 3 The Annex 1 of “Women Business and the Law, 2017, Labor Law Article 27” includes list of sectors and types of activities that women and children are prohibited to work, including those relating to the construction and rehabilitation of electrical storage units (Article 12). 4 World Bank Indicators. ESMAP | Shedding Light On Female Talent in Lebanon’s Energy Sector 3 skilled workers, available to enter the energy job market Education, and for the Lebanese University, retrieved from in Lebanon and propose recommendations when talking the Center for Educational Research and Development about opportunities for women to work in the sector.5 (CERD).7 While the focus is on assessing the high skilled workforce, the recommendations point to the need to focus also on The identification of STEM majors is based on the National supporting a middle-skills talent pool where most of the Science Foundation’s (NSF) definition of approved STEM jobs in the sector are likely to be created.6 fields.8 However, the health sciences category has been removed to refine the relevance of STEM majors to the employment needs of the energy sector. The mapping METHODOLOGY of energy majors and programs was conducted first through an online search on the webpages of all Lebanese A mixed-method approach was used to build evidence for universities, public and private. Subsequently, academic this study, primarily focusing on: data collection through leaders of these programs were contacted to obtain existing official enrollment statistics, an online survey additional, detailed data on student enrollment, gender to targeted staff across 15 energy institutions, and a and the focus areas. focus group discussion with professional women working or seeking work in the field. The analysis of enrollment data for the largest eight private universities in Lebanon was supplied by the Ministry of Education and Higher 5 The STEM educational assessment primarily covered higher education programs due to multiple reasons. Firstly, constraints around availability of data at lower levels (such as in secondary and vocational training) made it more feasible to focus on distribution of students in higher education institutions where data is available. Secondly, young women with university degrees are a readily available resource in Lebanon that when unemployed for months, and sometimes years, become a missed opportunity. Finally, the focus on higher education is not exhaustive, and there is future scope for conducting a similar mapping across secondary and vocational educational institutions. In that context, it will also be important to look at middle skills workforce development. 6 Middle-skill jobs are defined as those that would require more training than a high school diploma (such as associate degrees, occupational certifications, apprenticeships) but less than a four-year or university degree. Such jobs are vary significantly depending on the industry and the needs of the particular institution in that sector. In the energy sector, these could be the operations and maintenance of smart meters, renewable technologies, as well as clerical and customer service positions. 7 These eight universities have been chosen because: (1) Together, they count for more than 75 percent of the total tertiary education enrollment in Lebanon; the remaining balance is shared between more than forty small universities; (2) they are well-established academic institutions with a track record of STEM majors and programs. 8 NSF approved STEM fields fall under categories that include: i) chemistry, ii) computer and information science and engineering, iii) engineering, iv) geosciences, v) life sciences, vi) materials research, vii) mathematical sciences, viii) physics and astronomy, ix) psychology, x) social sciences, xi) stem and learning research (NSF, n.d.). 4 ESMAP | Shedding Light On Female Talent in Lebanon’s Energy Sector emerged within the sector, particularly in Lebanon where OVERVIEW OF the energy sector has gained more attention in the past few years. In fact, the development of the renewable EDUCATIONAL ENERGY energy market and the prospects of offshore oil and gas in Lebanon led to the establishment of new majors at PROGRAMS IN LEBANON the tertiary education level. These majors vary between renewable energy related and oil and gas related topics. As such, young people have started to engage in such In Lebanon, there are eight universities that offer 15 energy- programs as the local demand for jobs (or its perception in related degrees as part of their 4-year university diploma the case of oil and gas jobs) started to increase across the and graduate degrees (including Master’s and PhDs).9 country. Today, most students (68 percent) are enrolled in The distribution of women and men as well as type of petroleum and petrochemical programs, while the rest is programs are shown in Figure 1. In total, there are currently divided between renewables/energy efficiency (20 percent) 540 students enrolled in energy degree programs across and general-energy programs (12 percent).10 Renewable the country. While overall enrollment in higher education energy and general energy degree programs have better institutions has increased from 180,850 to 210,720 during participation of women than that of the oil and gas the past 10 years, it is difficult to say if this trend has programs (47 and 46 percent female representation been similar in energy related majors, as new majors have compared to 25 percent, respectively).11 Figure 1: Overview of academic energy programs in Lebanon and their type and gender distribution (undergraduate and graduate) 540 Students are enrolled in 8 Universities that offer 15 specialized energy programs 370 Students are enrolled in 109 Students are enrolled in 61 Students are enrolled in 7 Petroleum/petrochemical 5 Renewables/energy 3 General energy programs programs efficiency programs 25% of students are females 47% of students are females 46% of students are females 9 This does not mean that students enrolled in non-energy programs are not calculated from the possibility of obtaining jobs in the energy sector. In fact, there are various positions such as accounting, financial management, communications, administration and customer service that do exist across energy institutions. For reasons of efficiency, this paper focuses on narrow parameters to define supply side of talent in the sector (such as energy-related fields, STEM, and applied engineering) while at the same time recognizing that positions vary by type of work. 10 The spread of petroleum programs is mainly due to the demand for Lebanese workforce to work in oil and gas companies in the Gulf. The prospects of oil and gas offshore discoveries in Lebanon may have also played a role in luring students to study petroleum or petrochemical engineering. 11 This could be attributed to the increasingly acknowledged reputational advantages of renewable energy. As Lebanon scales up its investments in renewable energy, the demand on these programs will likely increase. Due to lack of student information management systems, reporting of student enrollment over time is limited. ESMAP | Shedding Light On Female Talent in Lebanon’s Energy Sector 5 Another interesting feature of the renewable energy and and financial autonomy, particularly in countries where energy efficiency degree programs is that two of them gender-based restrictions would limit their work options are also classified as “continuing education” programs; (Stoet & Geary, 2018). Additionally in Lebanon, as namely the pro-green diploma programs at the American enrollment data is examined more closely, the combined University of Beirut and the Lebanese American University, STEM numbers appear to hide major imbalances between Lebanon’s largest two private universities. These programs the more theoretical sciences and engineering, which offer working professionals the opportunity to develop tends to focus on applied disciplines.14 These STEM skills and compete in the emerging and rapidly expanding imbalances are further confirmed, when we compare the regional and domestic green energy market. numbers of enrollment in sciences and engineering across all universities within the sample as shown in Figure 2. Therefore, the average enrollment of females in sciences is about 54 percent, while it is only about 25 percent in STEM ENROLLMENT engineering. NUMBERS REVEAL The distribution of men and women across in STEM majors across different regions of Lebanon is shown in MAJOR IMBALANCES Figure 3, demonstrating a high concentration of STEM students studying at universities located either in the WITH STRIKING REGIONAL Beirut or Mount Lebanon governorates. The concentration of students within these two regions is primarily due to DISPARITY the geographic distribution of universities in the country, with a larger number of institutions in the greater Beirut region. It is also important to note the absence of Both public and private universities witness a decrease academic institutions in more rural Beqaa and Baalbak- in female enrollment numbers in STEM majors, compared Hermel, regions poised for deployment of renewable energy to overall enrollment numbers. 12 In public universities, projects.15 This highlights the importance of responding to the drop is about 10 percentage points, while it is 14 such a shortage by increasing the presence of existing percentage points in private universities. Furthermore, institutions in the region and supporting them to be better the percentage of females in STEM within the public able to equip a properly skilled workforce that would be university is 61 percent, which is quite high, even ready to be mobilized once the expected deployment of compared to developed countries13. This may not be renewable energy projects commences.16 The availability entirely surprising: recent global evidence points to a of such educational and training infrastructures could paradoxical relationship between gender equality and facilitate the participation of females in energy related STEM enrollment rates, with less gender-equal countries programs by resolving mobility and cost obstacles that faring much better than countries deemed more gender prevent women who reside in those regions from studying equal (Stoet & Geary, 2018). Reasons for this paradox is and living in Beirut.17 explained by the fact that a STEM education can provide women with more opportunities for income generation 12 There is one public university in Lebanon (the Lebanese University), but it has many branches across Lebanon 13 For example, in the United States and based on 2016 numbers, 60 percent of college graduates are females. However, only 35 percent graduated with a STEM degree (Institutite of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 2016). 14 These imbalances matter because the knowledge and skills preferred by energy companies when recruiting are largely drawn from technical and applied fields. 15 There is a limited number of branches of institutions of tertiary education within this region. It is also very important to note that the one public university has one branch within this region, making tertiary education less accessible for residents of the region. 16 It is important to note that expanding the presence of tertiary education institutions is not meant to encourage establishing branch campuses of existing institutions, but rather technical with some multi-disciplinary programs which could support the need for capacity building in new and growing job markets, particularly in the renewables. Additionally, such training centers can help with the supply of female talents to the demand for middle-skilled jobs, which are predominant in the energy sector. 17 For women who come from rural regions to study in Beirut, they would have to pay the cost of accommodation (rent), transport and food. The combined cost could well be one of the obstacles, even if the students do not pay tuition fees at the public university. It is also important to note that many families may choose not to send their daughters away from home for studying, also presenting yet another obstacle for enrollment in programs of tertiary education away from home. 6 ESMAP | Shedding Light On Female Talent in Lebanon’s Energy Sector Figure 2: Percentage of females in Sciences and Engineering fields in public and private universities in Lebanon (2018 data) Leb nese Universit Americ n Universit of Beirut S int Joseph Universit Leb nese Americ n Universit Beirut Ar b Universit B l m nd Universit Notre D me Universit Hol Spirit Universit of K slik Leb nese Intrrn tion l Universit 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 Science En ineerin Figure 3: Regional distribution of male and female students in STEM fields (2018 data)18 16,000 14,400 12,800 Number of s students 11,200 9,600 8,000 6,400 4,800 3,200 Fem le 1,600 M le 0 Beirut North South Beq & Mount Leb non & Akk r & N b tieh &B lb k-Hermel 18 It is important to note that the imbalance in the distribution of students across the different regions is also impacted by the imbalance in the geographic distribution of institutions of tertiary education. ESMAP | Shedding Light On Female Talent in Lebanon’s Energy Sector 7 Table 1: Major pre-employment challenges women face in the energy sector in Lebanon 19 Challenge Frequency Extensiveness Intensity Importance Social norms and expectations High High High High Information gap Low Low Medium Medium Immobility Medium Medium Medium High Energy sector’s reputation Low Low Medium Medium Lack of role models Medium High High High the results obtained from the tertiary education gender FACTORS CONTRIBUTING differential and the challenges suggested by the focus group. First, although the number of women studying TO GENDER GAPS IN THE STEM majors in Lebanon is relatively high, the share of women enrolled in engineering majors is just 25 percent. EDUCATION TO WORK The combined effects of the impediments outlined in Table 1 could explain the low level of women’s enrollment TRANSITION NEXUS20 in engineering majors. Second, social and cultural norms may restrict females living in rural areas from accessing tertiary education There has been in depth research carried out about the institutions offering energy related majors because they constraints Lebanese women face in the world of work are primarily located in the Beirut and Mount Lebanon (Assy & Sayed, 2018). Table 1 provides a snapshot of regions, and a decision to enroll in such majors may pre-employment challenges that are specific to women require the female to move away from her parents’ seeking work or having sought work in the energy residence, which is a culturally less acceptable practice. sector based on questions around three key thematic Expectations surrounding women’s role in society and areas: (i) assessing women’s ease of jobs in the sector, family influence may also impact what young women (ii) effectiveness of existing interventions to promote choose to focus on during their time in school. In fact, women’s participation in the sector, and (iii) impact of the decision-making processes of young women during energy reforms on women’s economic empowerment. their transition from school to work are often shaped by The responses of the FGD’s participants were recorded the role they are expected to play later in society, driving and coded by their frequency (How often was a concept many to choose majors that will allow them to work in mentioned?), extensiveness (How many different sectors that are perceived as more family supportive. This participants mentioned the concept?), intensity (How would include jobs in the public sector or in the education much passion or force was behind the comments?), and and health fields where, for example, working-hours are importance (Did participants cite this as an important shorter and more socially acceptable, allowing women to concept?). better balance care and household responsibilities (Saleh- Isfahani et.al., 2012). Some challenges, such as the existence of impeding social norms and lack of information about the options Third, the tertiary education gender differential data available, are global. Others are particularly relevant to also shows that the greatest disparity between men Lebanon’s case, such as immobility due to lack of safe and and women studying STEM majors is in the rural regions, secure transportation and the energy sector’s negative particularly in the Beqaa and Baalbak El Hermel region, reputation. It is interesting to note the alignment of where the share of women in STEM drops to 37 percent, 19 These results were obtained from the focus group and should be viewed as indicative only and are not meant to be comprehensive in nature. 20 Challenges are based on outcomes of the focus group discussion (FGD) with women working in leadership positions in the energy sector in Lebanon. Coded elements presented in the table and their definition were chosen from Richard A. Krueger’s book “Analyzing & Reporting Focus Group Results” (Krueger, 1998). Designated rapporteurs were asked to score responses (1 = low; 2= medium; 3= high) for each contribution against the coded elements during the discussion. The assigned scores shown in Table 1 were based on average scores of the rapporteurs. 8 ESMAP | Shedding Light On Female Talent in Lebanon’s Energy Sector compared to 45 percent in Beirut. This observation may and petroleum engineering, which have a female share of stem from the mobility challenges faced by women who 25 percent.21 Therefore, less females choose to enroll in live in rural areas and are unable to safely travel to the such programs given that the expectation is, that they university or are obstructed by their families from going would not be able to join the sector after graduation. due to the lack of safe and reliable public transport (Latif, 2016). Informational gaps were also identified by participants as a challenge with some intensity and relative importance. Fourth, the effect of the energy sector’s reputation, Many respondents highlighted that systemic issues which is identified as one of the entry challenges, is also with how information about available career options in reflected in the numbers of female students who are energy is communicated to female high school students subscribed to energy majors at Lebanese universities. as a contributor to the small number of women entering The sector is perceived as unstable and problematic, STEM majors. For those who do major in engineering faced with challenges of inclusion, accountability and and STEM related fields, there is little information about governance (World Bank, 2008). Women prefer to work what to expect once employed, and many women after in more stable environments, such as within the banking graduation reportedly feel ill-equipped because they lack and education sectors, and thus may be discouraged the softer skills such as those linked to inter-personal and from joining the energy sector. As shown earlier, there communications needed to succeed on the job or advance are many more women choosing to study majors related in their career (Baytiyeh, 2012). In addition to the above to renewable energy (47 percent) and energy science (46 impediments, the socioeconomic backgrounds of the percent) than oil and gas related majors, such as chemical students and their families play a major role in directing 21 There is a substantial existing literature on women’s higher concern for the environment compared to men. In a 2012 research by the Institute for Women's Policy Research found that “women are less likely than men to support environmental spending cuts and are less sympathetic to business when it comes to environmental regulation. They also have more positive feelings about environmental activists and are concerned about environmental risks to health, especially locally” (Polakovic, 2012). ESMAP | Shedding Light On Female Talent in Lebanon’s Energy Sector 9 “Dealing with and overcoming CONCLUSION stress is never tackled throughout a woman’s life. There seems to be some gaps in the participation of women in energy related programs of study across tertiary The educational system education institutions in the country. The imbalances does not emphasize the are evident in the limited gender diversity represented in the energy employment landscape in Lebanon. As noted, importance of stress this is due to a number of institutional, structural, and normative challenges influencing women’s participation management and mental in programs of study as well as their engagement in the health, especially in a sector. It is important to address such challenges through a multi-level strategy that harnesses talent and builds skills working mother’s life.” across the different stages of a young woman’s education pathway to her employment transition, including pre- tertiary, tertiary education, and post-tertiary levels or Female focus group discussant, continuing education. November 2018 The pivotal role of school counselors is widely recognized in helping students make higher education and career a male or female student towards a specific major. This decisions (Murphy, 2016). Essential interventions at the goes back to the point on social norms and expected role pre-tertiary education level could include the integration of women as caretakers, compared to role of men who of pre-college counselling programs targeting female are often seen as the ones who should be the primary students in secondary schools to expose them to options breadwinners.22 of STEM programs during their study at university as well as raise awareness of the options they may have within In this context, completing graduate studies (such the energy sector once they enter the labor market. as a Masters) in engineering or in any energy-related Involving families as part of the counselling program could field can be time intensive and prohibitive for students, also lead to positive engagement of fathers and male mostly women, who may have family commitments and guardians (brothers, husbands, etc.) and better awareness household responsibilities. In Lebanon, there is little if of the benefits in having both women and men work in any support from education institutions to address the the sector. In this context, a Harvard Business School differentiated needs of students with regard to child- study reveals that one of the most useful engagements care provision or organizing flexible study arrangements. for parents to have with their children lower secondary is As a result, one finds that married female students with to help them associate what they learn in middle school children tend to drop out of master’s programs due with their goals and interests, as well as aspirations post to their family commitments, especially in the second high-school (Blagg, 2009). semester (thesis stage). This also seems to affect the research preferences female students choose to study Most of the challenges outlined earlier can be also in school. addressed through interventions at the tertiary education level, such as introducing internship and practical experiences for students enrolled in STEM and other energy related programs at local universities. Providing a more holistic curriculum that can break gender stereotypes while incorporating multi-disciplinary coursework such as interpersonal communications, stress management, etc. can help reduce societal pressures about future work choices and help build more confident female employees who are better prepared to manage work-life balance. Exploring the establishment of centers of excellence 22 This MENA region-wide challenge: Lundvall, Jonna Maria; De Paz Nieves, Carmen; Constant, Samantha M.; Atamanov, Aziz. 2017. Progress towards gender equality in the Middle East and North Africa region (English). Washington, D.C.: World Bank Group.  10 ESMAP | Shedding Light On Female Talent in Lebanon’s Energy Sector for renewable energy with specific attention paid to constraints facing women in remote and rural areas across the country can also send positive signals about engagement in the sector as well as make it easier for young women to enter and remain in the field. The idea for such an initiative is bolstered by recent trends indicating that many energy companies and institutions in Lebanon have started to hire local graduates for their projects, except in some low skilled jobs like in the construction sector, where most of the supply remains dependent on foreign workforce. Introducing interventions focused on the high and middle skills workforce, ranging from recruitment, retention and advancement could include initiatives that attempt to change perceptions of the sector through targeted communications that promote women’s role in the sector through multi-media channels, event platforms that showcase role models and success stories. Finally, strong attention should be paid to facilitating favorable work environments and working conditions that cater to the differentiated realities and needs of for women already employed in energy-related fields in employees can build the capacity of future female workers, coordination with the government and private sector. it is also important to keep an open pathway for women This can be done through the fostering of reforms that to continue their education post-graduation as they seek support flexible work arrangements, parental leave and work as well as during employment to encourage their equality at work as well as of strategies that expand professional development and improve their chances at child care provision and encourage return and retention assuming leadership roles. Women’s participation in the of working mothers. While private investments in market- energy sector is not an add-on, but rather a need for the driven apprenticeships and on-the-job training programs modernization of the sector in the country. “When our [Oil & Gas] company asks employees to come to work after midnight [which is common in the sub- sector], usually only the male employees attend, while the female ones rarely attend. The latter is for numerous reasons, including the lack of transportation means, lack of safety, parental norms which prevent a female from leaving the house late at night, and family and childcare responsibilities. In such cases, it is very probable that any potential promotion will be given to the male employees and not the females.” Female focus group discussant, November 2018 ESMAP | Shedding Light On Female Talent in Lebanon’s Energy Sector 11 BIBLIOGRAPHY Assy, A., & Sayed, H. (2018). WHY AREN’T MORE LEBANESE WOMEN WORKING? Number 170(Quick Note). Washington DC: World Bank. 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The Gender-Equality Paradox in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education. 29(4), pp. 581-593. doi:10.1177/0956797617741719 World Bank. (2008). Lebanon: Electricity Sector Public Expenditure Review. Wahington DC: World Bank Group. Retrieved from http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTMNAREGTOPENERGY/Resources/LebanonElectricityPER.pdf World Bank. (n.d.). World Bank Development Indicators. Retrieved December 2018, from http://datatopics.worldbank.org/ world-development-indicators/ 12 ESMAP | Shedding Light On Female Talent in Lebanon’s Energy Sector This report or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the authors. The views expressed in this document are those of the authors, and do not reflect the views of the World Bank Group or the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, or the American University of Beirut.