Energy initiatives in Thailand encompass various sectors, with civil society playing a crucial role in advocating for and contributing to policy development to safeguard essential energy-related interests. This involvement, however, prompts an important question: To what extent does it foster inclusive environments for women? What supportive factors and challenges do women encounter within civil society in the energy sector?
In this edition of SDG Insights, we explore these themes through a discussion with Jitsai Santaputra, an energy and sustainability activist and the SDG7 Global Youth Ambassador for Southeast Asia.
Bridging gaps, fulfilling passions, and creating inclusive spaces for youth and women
Jitsai opens the discussion by explaining her work in the private sector and civil society. In the private sector, she serves as a consultant to energy companies, focusing primarily on the energy markets of Thailand and the Philippines. In civil society, she co-founded Youth for Energy Southeast Asia, an ASEAN-wide energy advocacy group promoting youth and women’s participation in energy issues, particularly through collaboration with Indonesian energy advocates.
However, these two organisations are only some of the spaces where Jitsai has worked on energy advocacy. Since completing her undergraduate studies, she has worked with private solar energy companies, giving her a foundation of experience in clean energy and an understanding of the importance of supporting diverse participation.
Encouraging youth and women’s involvement in the energy sector has been intentional for Jitsai, nspired by her awareness of two significant gaps in Thai society. The first is the limited involvement of young people and women in the sector. Decision-making roles are often occupied by individuals aged 50 to 60, creating a generational gap that limits the inclusiveness of policy design. The second is the limited opportunity for involvement in Thailand, where a top-down decision-making style dominates. Jitsai believes there is a need for new spaces where individuals from other backgrounds can contribute and drive change through alternative approaches.
These constraints motivated Jitsai to establish a support group to attract individuals who are not necessarily experts, engineers, or policymakers, enabling them to participate in the energy sector. Her focus has been on enhancing knowledge and understanding of energy among these groups by providing accessible training and promoting energy-related case studies to the general public.
Although her advocacy does not explicitly focus on gender equality or women’s roles, her efforts encompass the broader impact on women’s energy needs, such as kitchen use. Encouraging women’s involvement in policy design thus helps address diverse energy needs and impacts across genders. Jitsai also sees the importance of increasing female leadership within energy organisations, noting that the number of women in top roles remains limited despite their potential to reach these positions.
Jitsai emphasises two pervasive societal stereotypes that block women’s career advancement in the energy sector. The first is the entrenched belief that engineering is exclusively for men, which fosters doubts about the viability of job opportunities for women in fields like electrical engineering. The second stereotype minimises the scope of energy work, suggesting it is solely engineering-focused and thereby limiting public awareness of the various roles available. In truth, the energy sector encompasses a broad array of career paths, including policy-making, civil society, finance, climate change, and human resources—many of which do not require an engineering background. Jitsai passionately advocates for a wider recognition of the expansive and diverse career opportunities that exist within the energy sector.
Challenges for Women Working in Energy in Civil Society
Jitsai highlights the importance of workplace flexibility in removing barriers for women, particularly regarding menstrual health. She appreciates how her outcome-focused role allows her to manage her productivity effectively, even on days when she experiences challenges. By accommodating individual needs, her workplace demonstrates how flexibility can empower employees to perform their best, regardless of personal circumstances.
At the organisational level, energy work in civil society encompasses a wide range of sub-topics, which can make it difficult to align priorities. While Jitsai notes that some organisations emphasise universal electricity access, others focus on urban versus rural disparities. This diversity of focus areas can create challenges in achieving consensus, which may dilute civil society’s overall influence in comparison to sectors with more unified objectives. While this complexity affects all professionals in civil society, Jitsai acknowledges that women in leadership roles often navigate these dynamics with a unique perspective, bringing valuable insights to the table.
Recognising Constraints Without Imposing Barriers
While promoting gender equality within the energy sector, Jitsai emphasises the importance of recognising constraints that may limit women’s and men’s access to certain types of work. One such example is physically demanding roles. Jitsai recalls an instance in her workplace where a job involving heavy lifting was open to both genders. After hiring women for the role, it became apparent that lifting a 60-kilogram machine required four women compared to two men. Another example is work that requires travel to potentially unsafe areas, where gender-based safety concerns come into play. In subsequent hiring rounds, the human resources department specified a preference for male candidates for these roles. Jitsai believes such constraints are reasonable and do not constitute as gender discrimination.
Expanding Spaces and Inspiring Change
To promote gender equality in energy, Jitsai suggests that the Ministry of Energy should establish clear policies, perhaps by forming a civil society council to collaborate on policy design and provide diverse perspectives. This council could ensure inclusivity by involving individuals beyond the usual stakeholders.
Jitsai proposes that this council be elected externally, allowing individuals from various sectors to participate, even if they are not energy experts or policymakers. The council could aim for 50% female representation, with members from diverse fields such as arts, education, and other areas. She believes such a model could be adopted based on the United Nations Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change, which provides insights on climate change.
Another recommendation from Jitsai is for private energy companies to provide health insurance that includes coverage for women’s reproductive health and to run campaigns highlighting female role models within the organisation. Such initiatives could inspire young people, especially university-bound students, to recognise the opportunities available to women in the energy sector, from engineering to human resources, finance, and audit.
Jitsai stresses that gender equality initiatives should be integrated into organisational practices and culture and not seem like gestures. The human resources department could play a central role in demonstrating to senior executives the importance of gender equality and the resources needed for women to thrive in the energy sector.
Key Considerations for a “Just Energy Transition”
The “just energy transition” has become a widely discussed topic, and Jitsai believes it requires careful consideration of two critical factors, firstly energy security, ensuring that everyone can access energy, and health and secondly addressing the impacts of energy choices. A fair transition would greatly benefit women who rely on energy for daily activities from the kitchen to the workplace. Access to clean, affordable energy would promote both health and equality of opportunity.
In conclusion, the challenges and constraints for women working in civil society within the energy sector are not vastly different from those in other sectors. Gender-related obstacles, such as physical requirements and menstrual health issues, remain. However, the flexibility of civil society work creates spaces where women can manage their challenges more effectively. This flexibility and Jitsai’s active role and broad contributions highlight the unique opportunities available for women in this field.
This article is part of the ‘Women in Energy: Navigating Roles and Equality in Thailand’ project, a collaboration between the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the Centre for SDG Research and Support (SDG Move), Faculty of Economics, Thammasat University.
