Women in Nuclear Gender Balance Roadmap for the Nuclear Industry
The future of the nuclear industry has never been brighter. There has also never been a better time to support women working in the nuclear industry than right now. Women in Nuclear Canada (WiN Canada) is committed to supporting the success of the nuclear industry in Canada. We are well-positioned to have an impact on the industry and the communities in which we live and work.
Download the Gender Balance Roadmap below:
Supplemental Documents:
Roadmap Background:
One of our greatest challenges in the industry today is the very lean representation of women in the employee population. Women represent only about 22% of the workforce in the nuclear industry. Role models are critical to increasing both gender representation and overall diversity in the nuclear sector. Women need to be able to see themselves in the industry and envision themselves in various roles WiN Canada is committed to supporting our members in their pursuit of professional development. We are also committed to helping the organizations within our membership achieve gender balance.
This is an objective of Canada’s Equal by 30 campaign, which aims to advance women’s participation in the clean energy revolution and achieve 50% of women in the clean energy sector, including nuclear, by 2030. The campaign is a public commitment made by both public and private sector organizations to work towards equal pay, equal leadership, and equal opportunities for women in the clean energy sector. Several federal departments, including Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) have singed onto the commitment as a means to advance sector diversity and capacity.
However, with less than 8 years remaining to achieve our Equal by 30 objectives, women only represent 22% of the nuclear workforce. A significant amount of work remains to meet and surpass these targets, which means the message is clear – the time to act is now. While Equal by 30 is predominately focused on increasing the number of women in energy, it is recognized that it is not possible to advance gender equity without also advancing racial and ethnic minorities, LGBTQ2+ individuals, persons with a disability and other underrepresented groups.
WiN Canada’s mission statement is to make the public aware, especially women, of the benefits of nuclear and radiation applications in food, health and energy. WiN Canada Global has considerable reach, with over 25,000 members worldwide, working in various fields of nuclear energy and radiation applications. In Canada, we now have over 5,700+ members, employed in a wide range of disciplines. WiN Canada leverages the talent and expertise of these members to expand its reach to other women’s organizations. By reaching out to other organizations we are able to respond to Canadian Nuclear Association (CNA) findings that women, and young women particularly, are the least supportive of our industry.