Girls and Green Jobs
INTRODUCTION
The rapid emergence of green jobs elicits a shift towards a newfound progressive mentality, in which we would assume that gender equality would thrive. However, findings from a recent International Monetary Fund report show how this remains far from true. Although female underrepresentation is anything but a new phenomenon, its prevalence in green industries poses large risks both environmentally and socioeconomically.
The IMF’s findings conclude that the most significant barrier to female representation in green work is the gender gap in STEM education, where women still represent under a third of graduates (OECDD 2021). The environmental and economic consequences of underrepresentation are real; on average, countries with more STEM-educated graduates have much greater reductions in their greenhouse gas emissions in response to climate policy, with emission intensity up to 4% lower than other countries (IMF, 2024). If the links are clear, why is more not being done to promote STEM for women and girls?
Green jobs are crucial to the well-being and efficiency of a modern society and STEM education acts as a pipeline to increasing the prevalence of green jobs. Thus, an increased focus on female STEM representation will likely impact socioeconomic and environmental health of communities. Given the relationship between STEM education and the green industry, how are the barriers inhibiting female entry into STEM being addressed, if at all?
Economic/Environmental impact of green jobs
Before examining the importance of female representation in STEM and the green job sector, it’s necessary to understand the environmental, social, and economic impacts of the green sector itself, including jobs and infrastructure.
Under the UN’s definition, a “green economy” is “low carbon, resource efficient, and socially inclusive,” where employment and income growth are propelled by investment into “economic activities, infrastructure and assets” that further goals of reducing emissions and increasing the efficiency of energy and resource use (UN).
The UN created a “development path” to guide nations in their pursuit of meeting green economic standards. With this path comes an understanding that “natural capital,” which includes natural resources like water and biodiversity, is a “critical economic asset and a source of public benefits,” each of which contributes significantly to positive changes. These positive changes are most evident in areas including responsible consumption, environmental sustainability, economic growth, and technical innovation (UN).
The development pathway places a large emphasis on the institutional role and regulatory framework of nations. The focus is centered on designing policies, tariffs, and subsidies to encourage and accelerate green economic practices; for instance, promoting subsidies for low-carbon technological investment.
While UN and other worldwide policy changes are undoubtedly vital in the pursuit of a greener global economy, a lack of urgency in promoting STEM education, especially for female students, persists. The current push to improve fiscal policy centers so heavily around government investment in technology and regulatory incentives that there are few, tangible changes being made to improve the accessibility, quality, and overall framework of STEM education at a national level.
Given the UN’s firm acknowledgment of natural capital as an “economic asset,” it’s entirely possible that the prevalence of STEM education and green jobs could be a similarly important factor in determining a nation’s overall economic health and quality of life.
ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS
The environmental impacts of green jobs and infrastructure are well-documented and clear. The environment reaps incredible benefits, and climate resiliency improves tremendously. This means that, in economies with greater investment in green jobs and infrastructure, climates are more robust to negative environmental stressors such as flooding, heat waves, and poor air quality (EPA). In turn, ecosystems and communities can adapt and recover at much quicker and higher rates.
For instance, as global temperatures rise and localized flooding risk grows, communities with greater green infrastructure are better equipped to mitigate damage by preventing drainage systems from becoming overwhelmed and water quality from becoming tainted (EPA). Their STEM and green jobs allow them to utilize hydrologic and hydraulic modeling to identify green practices like pipe networks, permeable pavements, and rain gardens that reduce the duration and impact of flooding (EPA).
In New York City, the NYC Green Infrastructure Program implements many large and small-scale practices across the city that manage stormwater, maintain and restore ecosystems, and control risks from large rain events. For example, the DEP manages over 77,000 square feet of permeable pavement across NYC streets, mimicking soil absorption, facilitating the drainage of rainwater into the ground, and minimizing runoff. Not only this, but permeable pavement serves to reduce the flow of pollutants into streams and rivers through urban runoff, improving water quality and health of nearby natural bodies of water (USGS).
SOCIAL AND COMMUNITY BENEFITS
The social benefits of green infrastructure are equally evident, with community greenspaces being particularly important. “Greenspaces” are characterized by their ability to integrate nature into urban space, and include rain gardens, bioswales, planter boxes, urban trees, and natural community areas. Through greater exposure to nature and the environment, communities with access to these greenspaces receive countless positive benefits ranging from improved air quality to reduced noise pollution to greater social ties (EPA). Though the degree of social impacts of green infrastructure is “dependent on a number of factors, including the design, installation, and maintenance,” of the infrastructure, their benefits remain overwhelmingly positive (EPA).
The Office of Research and Development at the U.S Environmental Protection Agency finds that the opportunities for outdoor activities and recreation in greenspaces promote greater community safety and healthy physical activity, which both drive a greater sense of personal well-being. An increase in physical activity reduces the risks of stress, heart disease, obesity, hypertension, stroke, and cancers; it also corresponds to a healthier mental state and overall health (EPA).
Even more so, the National Library of Medicine found that outdoor physical activity– specifically in nature– has a much greater positive effect on our psychological health than indoor physical activity. Their study found that, across the categories of including anxiety, depression, anger, positive emotions, energy, and calmness, the majority of tests showed larger benefits when participants underwent “green exercise” rather than indoor exercise. The benefits of green exercise on anxiety were particularly significant.
Similarly, a study conducted by the City of Philidelphia Tripple Bottom Line Assessment found that simply increasing tree coverage can decrease ozone and pollution enough to “significantly reduce hospital admissions, lost workdays, and mortality.” They found that ozone-related hospital admissions from respiratory and cardiovascular conditions, asthma, and respiratory symptoms, in addition to missed workdays, are reduced significantly with an increase in tree coverage. They estimated the annual value of these ozone health effects between $12.5 and $20.5 million, with a corresponding annual mean benefit per tree planted of $32 (EPA, 2015). Their analysis shows how social benefits of green infrastructure are clearly intertwined with the economic well-being of communities.
In each case, evidence strongly supports the notion that greenspaces improve the public health and social capital in communities greatly, helping individuals within these communities function more effectively. Thus, the role that greenspaces play in society is essential to our understanding of the importance of green infrastructure and STEM education.
ECONOMIC BENEFITS
Finally, the incorporation of green infrastructure and jobs results in great economic benefits. For example, green infrastructure results in a significant reduction in wastewater infrastructure costs. By reusing water through green filtration systems and reducing runoff volumes, green infrastructure reduces the amount of water treated at wastewater facilities, flood control and damage expenses, and the amount of piped infrastructure necessary in communities, resulting in valuable cost savings (EPA).
A study by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA, 2020) found that implementing a green infrastructure strategy, including the use of watersheds to mitigate flood risks, resulted in clear monetary benefits. In a case study conducted in Toledo, the NOAA found that by implementing green strategies, the cost of total flood damage to buildings decreased from $738,000 to $453,000. They also concluded that additional economic benefits such as increased activity levels and increased property value occurred due to implementation of green infrastructure strategies.
As mentioned previously, both the environmental and social benefits of implementing green infrastructure and jobs are strongly intertwined with economic benefits, seen in both the environmental cost savings and individual healthcare savings. If the benefits in each aspect of society are clear, why are more women not emerging in green job careers?
STEM EDUCATION AND GREEN JOBS
STEM— science, technology, engineering, and mathematics— provides students with the educational pathway necessary to work in green jobs. The most common STEM majors pursued by undergraduates are biology, computer science, data analytics, environmental science, and engineering, which lead to a variety of career opportunities including those in the green sector. For example, renewable energy, which is one of the most important fields in green work, requires professionals with physics or engineering backgrounds to research, design, and implement green technologies such as solar panels or hydropower.
The National Girls Collaborative Project (NGCP) conducts annual research and statistics on females in STEM education and the workforce and highlights the underrepresentation in their 2024 report. They found that, despite women earning 58% of bachelor’s degrees across all fields of study, they earn only 24% of engineering degrees, 21% of computer science degrees, and 24% of physics degrees.
This translates to the workforce, where, although women make up 48%, they account for very small percentages of STEM professions– only 26% of the computer and mathematical science field and 16% of the engineering field. Latina, Black, and Indigenous women are even further underrepresented in STEM, pursuing only 14% of STEM bachelor’s degrees and embodying less than 10% of the professional field overall.
According to the World Economic Forum, job seekers with “green skills” resulting from a STEM education resulted in a 29% greater likelihood of being hired than someone without, across 48 countries. However, only 10% of women report having at least one single “green skill,” and the gender gap between skilled professionals has expanded by 25% in the last 7 years.
Given the IMF’s research and supporting evidence linking the rates of STEM graduates, implementation of green jobs and infrastructure, and positive socioeconomic and environmental effects, it’s imperative we increase STEM educational and career opportunities for women. Since clearly our national and worldwide progress continues to stagnate, what are the barriers to improvement?
BARRIERS to UNDERREPRESENTATION
The largest barrier to female STEM education is the continued underrepresentation in the workforce itself. The underrepresentation in the workplace and under-pursuit of STEM early on perpetuates the gender gap in a vicious cycle. This results in continued barriers including stereotypes, a lack of early preparation and access to STEM educational pathways, and a persistent gender pay gap and lack of career opportunities (NGCP).
According to standardized testing in the United States, female and male students perform similarly in STEM subjects like mathematics in science. Despite this, only 28% of high school girls report an interest in STEM careers as opposed to 65% of high school men (NGCP). According to the NGCP, a lack of high-quality STEM education across income levels and socioeconomic conditions significantly affects students’ experiences early on, potentially driving female students out of STEM despite success. Although difficult to draw conclusions, many organizations like the NGCP have created female-oriented projects and collaboratives to provide improved resources for different communities to decrease the gap in STEM education from the start.
In addition, persistent gender pay gaps may further dissuade females from entering STEM professions. According to a 2023 study by the Taylor and Francis group, after graduation, the gender pay gap is largest in mathematics and engineering, at 27.2% and 26.2%, respectively. Even further, the study shows how the gaps change over time, expanding to 31.4% in mathematics 4 years after graduation. With such stark differences in pay, it becomes clear why female undergraduates remain underrepresented in green professions.
ADDRESSING BARRIERS: IRELAND CASE STUDY
In their reports, the International Monetary Fund briefly cited an initiative implemented in Ireland, which focused on reducing the discrepancy in STEM education access between females and males. Through a combination of programs for young girls, awareness initiatives, company partnerships, and government policy, Ireland was able to significantly increase their female STEM participation. The results were incredible; with a gender-focused approach, Ireland tripled the number of girls pursuing STEM-related degrees in only 8 years (IMF).
Ireland has competitions aimed at young students in STEM. One competition, the BT Young Scienctist and Technology Competition, which encourages students across Ireland to submit projects and ideas in an exhibition-style competitive environment. They offer a separate competition for primary school students as well, encouraging STEM participation beginning in grade 3. The BT organization offers grants and prizes to remote cities as well, increasing access and opportunities for schools across all of Ireland (BT).
STEM Women, an organization for both students and professionals, holds career events, provides networking opportunities, offers apprenticeships, and promotes STEM jobs for women across Ireland. They offer free registration for events and have over 110,000 members (STEM). Ireland has many other similar organizations, each with goals to help women gain exposure to the STEM job market while providing accessible tools to match their skills with careers.
Lastly, the implementation of strong, clear policy promoting STEM education is arguable the most crucial aspect of Ireland’s approach. Ireland’s Minister stated that, “there is a need to enhance STEM learning for learners of all backgrounds, abilities and gender, from early learning and care through to post-primary.” Their STEM Education Implementation Plan to 2026 includes 45 actions, with the four pillars being to “nurture learner engagement and participation,” “enhance early years educator and teacher skills,” “Support STEM education practice,” and “use evidence to support STEM education” (Gov). In addition, specific sections aim to give added support to girls through projects like the STEM Passport for Inclusion, which “recognises the experiences of girls from DEIS schools as they achieve microcredentials in STEM” and provides “mentoring and engagement with STEM content knowledge” (Gov). The strong stance taken by Ireland’s government creates a clearly outlined agenda, giving the issue of STEM education and female representation a sense of national support and urgency.
IDEAS AND CONCLUSION
To combat female underrepresentation in STEM, nations should use Ireland’s approach as a benchmark. It seems to be that the backbone of Ireland’s success is their unified, national stance on the importance of equalizing the playing field for students and professionals pursuing STEM, while simultaneously promoting increased engagement and participation. With this unified stance, Ireland was then able to implement a diverse combination of programs, initiatives, funding, and policy to create a well-rounded approach towards furthering STEM growth across the country, which they did with marvelous success.
More than anything, nations globally should aim to mirror the unified stance of Ireland’s leaders, who have a clear recognition of the importance of STEM education. National policy can then be aimed at introducing STEM in the early stages of education, placing an emphasis on gender and socioeconomic equality through targeted funding and programs. Once again, however, doing so requires a unified government perspective that acknowledges that the investment in STEM education and the green industry is worthwhile– a notion that evidence clearly supports.
The combination of environmental, social, and economic benefits that emerge due to the prevalence of green jobs and infrastructure is indisputable, and the STEM education to green job pipeline is clear. However, it remains worrisome that the gender gap in each persists, despite the growth of the industry. By increasing awareness of the relationships between educational pathways, career equality, female representation, and societal advantages, we can begin to mitigate gender disparities in green jobs and emerge more efficient and sustainable.
References
EPA. (n.d.). Benefits of green infrastructure. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. https://www.epa.gov/green-infrastructure/benefits-green-infrastructure
EPA. (n.d.). Green infrastructure and healthy communities: A factsheet. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2017-11/documents/ greeninfrastructure_healthy_communities_factsheet.pdf
EPA. (n.d.). Social benefits of green infrastructure. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. https://www.epa.gov/green-infrastructure/social-benefits-green-infrastructure
EPA. (2015). Philadelphia’s bottom line: The cost-benefit of green infrastructure. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-10/ documents/gi_philadelphia_bottomline.pdf
Girls in STEM. (n.d.). About us. https://www.girlsinstem.ie/about-us
IDAIreland. (n.d.). Women in STEM. https://www.idaireland.kr/getmedia/86c66622-56cc-452f-bb88-e2e55051091b/IDA_Ireland_Women_in_STEM.pdf
IDA Ireland. (n.d.). About IDA Ireland. https://www.idaireland.com/
IMF. (2024, October 7). Why women risk losing out in the shift to green jobs. International Monetary Fund. https://www.imf.org/en/Blogs/Articles/2024/10/07/why-women-risk-losing-out-in-shift-to-green-jobs
National Girls Collaborative Project. (n.d.). State of girls and women in STEM. https://ngcproject.org/resources/state-girls-and-women-stem
National Girls Collaborative Project. (n.d.). Local collaboratives initiatives. https://ngcproject.org/about/initiatives/local-collaboratives
NOAA. (2020). Green infrastructure cost-benefit analysis: A guide. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. https://coast.noaa.gov/data/digitalcoast/pdf/gi-cost-benefit.pdf
NYC Department of Environmental Protection. (n.d.). Green infrastructure. City of New York. https://www.nyc.gov/site/dep/water/green-infrastructure.page#:~:text=Green%20infrastructure%20collects%20stormwater%20from,the%20health%20of%20local%20waterways
STEM Women. (n.d.). Women in STEM Ireland: Statistics and key findings. https://www.stemwomen.com/women-in-stem-ireland-statistics-and-key-findings#:~:text=Many%20programmes%20and%20opportunities%20now,STEM%20Women%20Ireland
STEM Women. (n.d.). Homepage. https://www.stemwomen.com/
Tandon, S. (2024). Exploring green jobs and skills growth. Education and Training, 66(2), 123-137. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03075079.2024.2330667
Tandon, S. (2024). Exploring green jobs and skills growth. Education and Training, 66(2), 123-137. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/03075079.2024.2330667?needAccess=true
UNEP. (n.d.). Green economy: Supporting resource efficiency in Asia and the Pacific. United Nations Environment Programme. https://www.unep.org/regions/asia-and-pacific/ regional-initiatives/supporting-resource-efficiency/green-economy
USGS. (n.d.). Evaluating the potential benefits of permeable pavement. United States Geological Survey. https://www.usgs.gov/centers/upper-midwest-water-science-center/science/ evaluating-potential-benefits-permeable-pavement
WEF. (2024, February). Green jobs and skills growth. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/2024/02/green-jobs-green-skills-growth/