The energy transition is creating new opportunities in areas such as renewable energy, power grids, energy efficiency, storage, and emerging technologies. The challenge facing Latin America and the Caribbean is to ensure that existing inequalities are not carried over into this new energy economy. This was one of the key messages conveyed by OLACDE during the webinar “Gender Mainstreaming in Energy: Closing the Gender Gap,” held on July 22 in collaboration with CARICOM.
Gloria Alvarenga, OLACDE’s Director of Energy Integration, Access and Security, emphasized that the design of public policies will determine who gains access to new jobs, who participates in strategic decision-making, and which groups benefit from investment. Gender gaps in the region are concentrated primarily in four areas: access to modern energy, specialized technical employment, leadership positions, and the availability of gender-disaggregated data—an essential tool for directing budgets and investments toward actual needs across different territories.
The assessment presented during the webinar showed that women remain underrepresented in key areas such as engineering, construction, operations, maintenance, digital technologies, and decision-making positions on corporate boards and within regulatory bodies. Alvarenga highlighted a regional paradox: even in the renewable energy sector, where employment opportunities are expanding, women’s participation remains largely concentrated in administrative roles, logistical support, communications, and social management.
This situation is strongly influenced by structural barriers, including unequal access to STEM education and training, limited mentoring opportunities, workplace bias, and the unequal distribution of unpaid care responsibilities.
From Diagnosis to Action
OLACDE has outlined a roadmap structured around five priorities for government action: developing accurate assessments and data; integrating equality objectives, budgets, and accountability mechanisms into energy policies; expanding technical training and encouraging women’s participation in STEM fields; strengthening women’s institutional leadership; and implementing rigorous mechanisms to monitor and evaluate public investment.
The objective is to ensure that gender equality becomes a cross-cutting principle throughout the entire energy policy cycle, from design to evaluation. At the operational level, the Organization is already implementing concrete initiatives, including a programme designed to encourage girls and young women to engage with STEM disciplines. Previously implemented in Chile and Ecuador, the initiative is intended to gradually expand to Central America and countries across the Caribbean Community.
OLACDE also produces annual technical notes on gender, promotes women’s networks across the energy sector, and supports rural electrification and clean cooking projects, demonstrating how access to modern energy can reduce the time devoted to unpaid domestic work and help unlock greater socioeconomic opportunities.
The joint work of OLACDE and CARICOM strengthens a regional agenda aimed at connecting equitable employment, innovation, and multilateral cooperation. Building on the region’s abundant renewable energy resources and strong technical capabilities, both institutions reaffirmed their commitment to working with governments, businesses, and civil society to ensure that the decarbonization process effectively contributes to narrowing gender gaps across Latin America and the Caribbean.
