Women urged to research climate change

The need to involve more women with science, engineering and technology qualifications in tackling the problems of climate change will be reinforced in a keynote speech by Malcolm Wicks MP.

The need to involve many more women with science, engineering and technology qualifications in tackling the problems of climate change, including at the highest decision-making levels, will be reinforced in a keynote speech by Malcolm Wicks MP, Minister for Science and Innovation, in London on Wednesday 14th March 2007.

He will be speaking at the British Museum at the opening (10am) of the 3rd Annual Conference of the UK Resource Centre for Women in Science, Engineering and Technology (UKRC), which has the theme 'Climate for Change: Women in Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) - Having an Environmental Impact'.

Director of the UKRC, Annette Williams, in her opening speech to the conference, will remind delegates that many of the big issues in our society have an SET basis, including control of communications, safety of the water supply, protection of the environment in general and, of course, combating climate change.

Ms Williams will say that research does substantiate that women are more environmentally conscious than men due to their socialisation.

Two surveys, one of a demographically representative panel of 1000 adults in the UK, the other with a large number of SET professionals, conducted online earlier this month (March) by UKRC in conjunction with engineering staffing specialist EPCGlobal and research consultancy iCD Research, showed that 58% of respondents thought it 'unlikely' or 'very unlikely' that humanity will act in time to cut greenhouse gas emissions enough to reduce the expected rise in global temperatures by half.

The UKRC survey indicates that British women are indeed more concerned than men (86% of women are 'extremely' or 'somewhat' concerned about global warming, compared with 76% of men).

Two thirds of respondents think that climate change, energy and energy efficiency technologies are the hooks to engage more women in SET careers.

Two thirds (65%) of respondents not now involved in renewable or sustainable fields would consider seriously entering them if they could start their careers again, primarily because they would have the opportunity to address compelling challenges facing humanity.

Ms Williams will point delegates to a wider body of research supporting this new survey (some examples from bibliography in 'Additional information' below).

The UKRC Director will say that with such a wide body of research supporting the view that women are more environmentally conscious, for this reason, if no other, women should be taking a substantial role in decision-making and influence and have better access to all SET positions in climate science and environmental technologies.

There are, however, other compelling reasons.

The business case for changes to recruitment, retention and work-place practices are being demonstrated by an increasing number of companies which have changed, but these companies are still a minority.

A good example is National Grid, winner of this year's UKRC Award for Inclusion and Diversity in SET.

This organisation has made great progress towards solving its technical recruitment problems by such changes.

In National Grid now, 25% of graduate engineers are female and 32% of graduates overall are female.

The UKRC Director will give one poignant example of the ingrained cultural attitudes which can prevent recognition and utilisation of SET women.

She will tell delegates: "I was speaking to one of the six women named as this year's UKRC Women of Outstanding Achievement in SET, at the launch of the 2007 exhibition of their portraits last week.

She told me how, after she and others had been presented with a medal by one of her institutes at a presentation ceremony, the announcement was made: "Will the winners and their wives please come back on stage".

"The world has a history of making invisible the achievements of women, particularly in SET fields".

"This experience of our Woman of Outstanding Achievement shows how certainly this remains true even today".

Leading British women climate scientists and executives of energy companies will be among speakers at the conference, in a day of discussions and workshops chaired by Anna Ford.

Among key speakers are: Professor Julia Slingo, Founding Director, Walker Institute for Climate System Research, University of Reading; Professor Jane Francis, Professor of Palaeoclimatology, University of Leeds; Lynda Armstrong, Vice-President Technical, Shell International Exploration and Production; Dr Nina Skorupska, Director, Technology Services, RWE npower.

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