Women in Energy roundtable

In Ulaanbaatar, USAID MEG Activity hosted the first-ever women’s roundtable discussion to address gender issues in the energy sector, with representatives from academia, government, and the private sector. Women engineers and technicians bring valuable contributions to the energy field. Yet they face many challenges, such as gender stereotypes, discrimination, work/life imbalance, and a lack of training and networking opportunities. As energy consumers women and girls often experience "time poverty" – the burden of unpaid work that limits them to have equal participation in paid work in rural areas and ger neighborhoods due to limited access to energy in areas where power failures are more common. In partnership with Abt Associates, USAID is promoting gender equality, inclusivity, and leadership in the energy sector so that these factors will not discourage women to pursue professional opportunities in this field.