I had the opportunity to talk with Tom Freyberg about the Brave Blue World project to talk about the goal to deliver water services throughout the world. And I got to talk about my personal story about how I went from a chemical engineer to a career I’m passionate about – water.
It was also an opportunity to talk about the water industry’s gender imbalance and share my thoughts about approaching the next generation and educating them about the water crisis.
The gender imbalance in the water industry means it is missing out on talent. And if the water industry is going to solve the critical challenges it is facing, we need to harness the skills of women.
Men in this industry can help with gender imbalance by opening up their circles and let women in.
A 2017 study by PwC UK found that girls are less likely to study STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) subjects at school and university and that a shortage of female role models was a major barrier to young women joining these industries.
So, What Can We Do To Tackle Gender Imbalance?
Education, mentoring and inclusion will all play a part in addressing the water industry’s gender imbalance. It’s going to take women in this profession to step up, speak out and be role models to young women.
And we need to go beyond that. We need to look to our government and education authorities.
Digital technology may also make this industry more appealing to young women by using data, analytics and sensors.
The gap is wide. It’s not just women who are going to fix this. We definitely need men to fix this too, and open up their inner circles and let women in.”
Kimberly Kupiecki
Wrapping Up
The gender imbalance is slowly improving. And one day, it will no longer be an issue that needs discussion.
Take a listen to the podcast below.
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