Water utilities offer safe, stable jobs for women
In 2015, the United Nations General Assembly declared February 11 as the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, in an effort to achieve equal access to science. Overall, women are underrepresented in fields related to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), and the water utility sector remains male dominated. A report by the World Bank Group’s Water Global Practice reveals that less than one in five water workers are women, and that only 18% of technical and leadership roles in the sector’s workforce are held by women. This is due, in part, to the significant difference in STEM degrees held by men and women. According to the American Association of University Women, men outnumber women in nearly every science and engineering field, and women hold only 20 percent of bachelor’s degrees in fields such as physics, engineering and computer science.