Improving the gender balance in nuclear energy

The NEA convened a second high-level working meeting on improving the gender balance in nuclear energy on 11-12 February 2021. The meeting kicked off on the International Day of Women and Girls in Science and brought together experts from 13 NEA member countries, as well as representatives from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the European Commission. Among NEA member countries, a number of initiatives have been launched to promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, and several countries have initiated policies on gender balance. The participants at the meeting discussed these initiatives and exchanged information regarding the status of women in the nuclear sectors in their home countries. While many countries reported continued difficulty in attracting and retaining women in the nuclear sector, it was noted that many lack data to effectively inform policy approaches. The participants also discussed what practical steps might be taken to address the challenges related to the participation of women in nuclear energy activities. They reflected on short-term efforts to increase the number of women in the nuclear sector, as well as on strategies that could be applied at the international level. The meeting included a special session on the younger generation. The delegates agreed to review existing efforts to determine the data gaps and needs on the international level to inform further collaboration and engagement. There was strong interest in developing joint data collection instruments to identify the barriers and challenges confronting women in NEA member countries, in order to develop targeted policy recommendations