In the forthcoming episode of Perfect Imbalance, I interview Karen Spenley who talks passionately about whether or not there’s an alternative path to mainstream.
Unsure what we might be talking about?!
Karen is talking about females in engineering. With over 20 years in the oil industry she’s well placed to talk about this.
Did you know?
In the UK only 9% of engineers are female!
Or that in academia only 11% of top jobs are female?
Karen is passionate and genuinely interested in hearing from any companies or organisations interested in advancing the topic of women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). Mindsets need to shift in order to enable more and more women to move into leadership positions.
More women in leadership roles have been linked to how we perceive;
- work-life balance
- climate change
- sustainable development
Antarctica
Karen was selected to be part of the HB4 programme this year and started training for her expedition to Antarctica in Nov 2018. Homeward Bound (HB) is a ground-breaking leadership initiative, set against the backdrop of Antarctica.
Their aims are to heighten the influence and impact of women in making decisions that shape our planet. Launched in 2016, this programme is the largest climate-driven female expedition to Antarctica.
Why is it important?
- Currently 85% of the global population uses a fossil fuel for energy source.
- There are 2.8bn people without electricity, but access to power is strongly correlated to prosperity.
- Reports like the recent IPCC study suggest we need to reduce CO2 emissions by 45% by 2030 to limit temperature rises to 1.5deg.
It’s a complex problem that requires courageous and inventive solutions from everyone.
If you want to read more and support Karen, her crowd funding page is here.
Tune in next week to hear Karen and I talking about whether there is an alternative path to mainstream.