{"id":73977,"date":"2023-05-02T09:05:05","date_gmt":"2023-05-01T22:35:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?p=73977"},"modified":"2023-05-02T10:06:11","modified_gmt":"2023-05-01T23:36:11","slug":"solar-gender-action-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-gender-action-plan\/","title":{"rendered":"We Want More Women Working In Solar: Here’s The Plan."},"content":{"rendered":"
\"female

Image Credit: Finn Peacock and his AI helper<\/p><\/div>\r\n

The solar industry’s getting serious about gender balance. The Smart Energy Council’s Gender Action Plan (GAP) sets the stage for an estrogen-fueled transformation and was unveiled in a webinar last week.<\/p>\r\n

I mean, come on, a measly one-third of the solar workforce are women, and the Smart Energy Council says they’re mostly in admin, with a smaller number in sales and very few up on roofs installing systems.<\/p>\r\n

I think it’s great the Smart Energy Council is taking action to improve equality. But if you’re one of these folks who think this gender equality thing is overrated, do us all a favour and take a hike.\u00a0 Chat with your mum about why she deserves fewer chances than your dad. Or, even better, try explaining it to your sister, but I can’t promise you won’t get a knuckle sandwich.<\/p>\r\n

Why the Gender Action Plan Matters: Raising Awareness and Making a Difference<\/h2>\r\n

I’m dishing out the deets on this Gender Action Plan for three reasons:<\/p>\r\n

    \r\n
  1. To spread the word that the solar industry is finally addressing this issue.<\/li>\r\n
  2. To let those solar installers know what’s up when they hear about the GAP.<\/li>\r\n
  3. To offer suggestions on how you can help, no matter your industry.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n

    So, the GAP webinar happened, and it struck a 50-50 balance on gender representation among the speakers. Not too shabby, huh?<\/p>\r\n

    \"Gender<\/p>\r\n

    Australia’s Ambitious Emission Goals Need More Women<\/h2>\r\n

    Now, Australia’s government has some pretty ambitious emission-cutting goals, which means the renewable energy sector needs a boatload of new workers. According to one estimate, we must go from 120,000 currently employed in renewables to 600,000. And guess what? If we don’t level the playing field and give men and women equal access to these jobs, we’re looking at a world of trouble:<\/p>\r\n

      \r\n
    1. It’ll be harder to fill positions with a smaller applicant pool.<\/li>\r\n
    2. Labour costs will skyrocket thanks to supply and demand.<\/li>\r\n
    3. Worker quality will suffer because the best candidates won’t get a fair shot.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n

      Sure, it’s a little icky to say we should be more inclusive just because the industry needs the help. You should give people a fair go because it’s the right thing to do. But, hey, I’ll take it. Money talks, after all.<\/p>\r\n

      Team Gender Force, Assemble!<\/h2>\r\n

      The GAP’s 2030 goals are to up the number of women in the solar industry from 32% to 50% and to boost the proportion of female solar installers from 2% to 30%. They’re going to do it by assembling teams in solar companies that’ll shake up self-perceptions, change behaviours, and create more inclusive workspaces. Sounds like a plan. In fact, it sounds like a Gender Action Plan.<\/p>\r\n

      \"Gender<\/p>\r\n

      GAP Badges<\/h2>\r\n

      Participants in the GAP get a shiny badge to show they’re actively working to make the industry better for everyone. \u00a0They can put it on their website and documents to show they are actively working to improve opportunities for women in the industry. But, how’s it all gonna be funded? Beats me. I just hope they don’t charge for the badges and slap a “good person tax” on the folks trying to improve things.<\/p>\r\n

      I also worry that these badges could lead to ridiculous situations where a company consisting of 10 women, two men, and an attack helicopter1<\/a><\/sup> could be accused of not being inclusive because they don’t have a badge on their website.<\/p>\r\n

      Physical Strength Stereotypes<\/h2>\r\n

      Part of the plan is to ditch the idea that women don’t have enough muscles to work on a roof.\u00a0 Some aren’t up to the physical side of solar installation, but plenty of men are in the same boat.\u00a0 If they’re not tested on strength, it’s not fair to require it for women and make an extra hoop for them to jump through.<\/p>\r\n

      Don’t Be A Jerk<\/h2>\r\n

      Now, to create more inclusive workplaces, we all need to make some changes \u2013 especially you blokes. That means we must address our unconscious sexism and knock it off with unwanted advances and teasing. Don’t be a jerk, alright?<\/p>\r\n

      \"Solar

      To help with this, one of the speakers, Nigel Morris, created a Solar Blokes Checklist and printed them on beer coasters.<\/p><\/div>\r\n

      Keep It Simple: Straightforward Steps to Build a Fairer Workplace<\/h2>\r\n

      Building a better and fairer workplace is not complex.\u00a0 Some people make a big deal of it with workshops and flowcharts, and seminars, but the most important steps can be summed up simply:<\/p>\r\n

        \r\n
      • Don’t be an arsehole.<\/li>\r\n
      • Never intentionally hurt anyone.<\/li>\r\n
      • When giving criticism, make sure it’s clear, concrete, and constructive.<\/li>\r\n
      • Be polite and — within reason — professional.<\/li>\r\n
      • Don’t treat the workplace as a pick-up joint.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n

        At the end of the day, we’re all just people trying to make our way in the world. So, let’s make sure everyone gets a fair shot, and if you’re being an arsehole, it’s time to change your ways. Trust me, you’ll be better off without that chip on your shoulder. And always remember what my grandfather used to say,<\/p>\r\n

        \r\n

        “Don’t be a $4 man with a $5 grudge. You may not like the way things add up.”<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        The solar industry’s getting serious about gender balance. The Smart Energy Council’s Gender Action Plan (GAP) sets the stage for an estrogen-fueled transformation and was unveiled in a webinar last week. I mean, come on, a measly one-third of the solar workforce are women, and the Smart Energy Council says they’re mostly in admin, with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":74225,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-73977","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-solar-policy","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWe Want More Women Working In Solar: Here's The Plan.<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Solar Industry has a Gender Action Plan to get more women working in renewables & solar. 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Master of heavily researched deep-dive blog posts, his relentless consumer advocacy has ruffled more than a few manufacturer's feathers over the years. Read Ronald's full bio.","sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/BrakelsRonald"],"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/author\/ronald\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/gender-action-plan.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2FF2s-jfb","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":40247,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/cabonne-council-solar-mb1546\/","url_meta":{"origin":73977,"position":0},"title":"Cabonne Council Adopts Renewable Energy Action Plan\u00a0","author":"Michael Bloch","date":"June 2, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"A renewable energy plan adopted by NSW's Cabonne Council could result in rooftop solar installed on multiple Council facilities and\/or multiple small solar farms popping up around the LGA. Cabonne Shire is a local government area in the Central West region of NSW. Home to around 13,000, the LGA partly\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Solar & Storage News"","block_context":{"text":"General Solar & Storage News","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-battery-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Cabonne Council solar energy","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/solar-cabonne-council.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/solar-cabonne-council.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/solar-cabonne-council.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/solar-cabonne-council.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/solar-cabonne-council.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":71574,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/casey-climate-action-mb2838\/","url_meta":{"origin":73977,"position":1},"title":"City Of Casey Adopts Climate Action Plan","author":"Michael Bloch","date":"February 23, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Victoria's City of Casey has adopted a plan to guide Council towards achieving net zero corporate emissions by 2030 and support a community-wide target of net zero emissions by 2040. The City of Casey is located in Melbourne's south-eastern suburbs and is home to more than 369,000 residents living in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Solar & Storage News"","block_context":{"text":"General Solar & Storage News","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-battery-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"City of Casey - solar energy","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/casey-climate-solar.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/casey-climate-solar.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/casey-climate-solar.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/casey-climate-solar.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/casey-climate-solar.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":32166,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/victoria-solar-action-mb1142\/","url_meta":{"origin":73977,"position":2},"title":"Victoria’s Day Of Solar Action This Thursday","author":"Michael Bloch","date":"July 22, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"A rally on the steps of Victoria's Parliament House this Thursday will endeavour to get it through the Victorian Government's skull that not only is the nature of the Solar Homes PV rebate crippling the state's solar industry, many Victorians are missing out on reaping the benefits of solar power.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Solar & Storage News"","block_context":{"text":"General Solar & Storage News","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-battery-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Victorian Solar Rally","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/victoria-solar-rally.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/victoria-solar-rally.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/victoria-solar-rally.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/victoria-solar-rally.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/victoria-solar-rally.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":39558,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/stimulus-summit-renewables-mb1513\/","url_meta":{"origin":73977,"position":3},"title":"“Stimulus Summit” Today: A Renewables-Led Economic Recovery","author":"Michael Bloch","date":"May 6, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"The \"Stimulus Summit\" is a free online event being held today that will delve into government stimulus packages relating to renewables and climate change action, and discuss the critical role of decarbonisation in Australia\u2019s economic recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Experts from across the renewables sector will\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Solar & Storage News"","block_context":{"text":"General Solar & Storage News","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-battery-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Stimulus Summit - Renewable Energy","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/stimulus-summit-renewables.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/stimulus-summit-renewables.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/stimulus-summit-renewables.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/stimulus-summit-renewables.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/stimulus-summit-renewables.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":23492,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/accc-liberal-national-solar-mb0706\/","url_meta":{"origin":73977,"position":4},"title":"ACCC Peddles Solar Subsidy Axing To Nationals, Liberals Next","author":"Michael Bloch","date":"August 14, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"The ACCC's Rod Sims yesterday briefed National Party MPs on a suite of recommendations on electricity affordability, including the premature axing of Australia's solar subsidy. In July, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission published a 398 page report with 56 recommendations for restoring electricity affordability in Australia. Recommendation 24 stated\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Solar & Storage News"","block_context":{"text":"General Solar & Storage News","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-battery-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Australia's solar subsidy facing the axe?","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/axe-solar-subsidy.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/axe-solar-subsidy.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/axe-solar-subsidy.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/axe-solar-subsidy.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":29925,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/smart-energy-council-batteries\/","url_meta":{"origin":73977,"position":5},"title":"Smart Energy Council Says Dumb Things About Batteries","author":"Ronald Brakels","date":"May 6, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"On Thursday the 1st of May the Smart Energy Council put out a press release[1. Update 25th Feb 2024: The original press release has disappeared from the Smart Energy Council's site.]that strongly implied home batteries can pay for themselves.\u00a0 Unfortunately, at this time, they don't with the possible exception of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Battery Storage"","block_context":{"text":"Battery Storage","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/battery-storage\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/1-plus-one.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/1-plus-one.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/1-plus-one.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/1-plus-one.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/1-plus-one.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73977","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73977"}],"version-history":[{"count":111,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73977\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":74248,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73977\/revisions\/74248"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/74225"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73977"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73977"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73977"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}