NAPENews Magazine August 2021 Edition

THE ROLE OF FEMALES
IN THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY
The Oil and Gas industry is gender-less,
well to correct the impression, it isn't
masculine. It is simply a business, an
industry that creates one of the most
important human needs after the basic
human needs of air, water, shelter and
security. It is a vibrant industry that creates
energy. Energy, in itself powers life.
When I got your invite to speak on this
topic, these were my first thoughts.
The Oil and Gas industry isn't about
females and/or males. It is about innovation.
It is a place for restless, inquisitive yet
solution-oriented individuals such as you
and I to come, roll up our sleeves and get to
work. Essentially, it shouldn't matter
whether I am female, and you are male or
female - the important thing is this: I have a
sleeve, I am opportune to showcase my
skills and I am willing to roll it up and deliver.
With this, I hope I have helped to shape your
mindset about this unconscious misnomer
or bias that has permeated the Oil and Gas
industry and the world through the entirety
of its existence and has allowed it to lose the
outstanding intellectual capacity of humans,
simply because their genitals are different.
(Pardon my French)
However, I am not here to play the ostrich
and deny that there are many issues to
discuss about the roles of females in the
industry, so let me begin with facts.
A 2018 study by the Petroleum Equipment
and Services Association, PESA, in
partnership with Accenture, showed that
only 16% of the more than 250,000 people
employed across the oil and gas industry
are women, only 3.6% are in the offshore
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