I was raised in a family that worked with energy. My dad, a licensed electrical contractor who worked at a utility firm, was an electrician. Both my grandfathers were employed by the local gas company. Like many kids, I wanted as much time as possible with my father. Due to his busy schedule, we often spent weekends checking on substations, wires, and meters that needed repair. We’d then enjoy our favorite Italian pastries.
These experiences have helped me to understand the importance of investing in energy infrastructure. This work kept the lights on. This also taught me something else. The women in the field and the overall operations department were all men.
My dad asked me if I would like to work in the energy industry before I went off to college. I replied, “No, Thank You.” We create narratives about how the world functions based on the stories we hear and our own experiences. These stories are powerful, and they help to form cultural norms. I COULDN’T IMAGINE MYSELF DOING SO because I didn’t see women working in the energy industry. People had told me, without ever saying it directly, that this industry and these roles were not for women. This narrative impacted not only me but also our entire society. You can see this by looking at a brief history.
Women were doing more than domestic work before the Industrial Revolution. They also produced food, clothing, and other goods for their families. Things began to change, and women slowly explored other employment options. The American industries needed labor during the World Wars when many men served in the military. The government created the famous fictional character “Rosie the Riveter” to encourage more women into trades in wartime. It worked. This effort led to more than 300,000 female workers in the aviation industry. Many women in the industrial sector lost their jobs when men returned from war. Over the years, this demographic has served in secretarial jobs and expanded to include occupations still viewed as predominantly female today – such as teaching or nursing. Women have made significant progress in the past decades in participation, but the numbers still need to grow in the manufacturing, construction, and energy sectors.
The Inflation Reduction Act will bring about a clean energy Revolution, creating thousands of jobs. We at SunPower have the opportunity to change this narrative about who is a part of solar energy. I want to say that we are not only changing how our world is powered but also who is driving it.
Only 30% of solar workers in the U.S. are women. Only 2% of electricians are women. SunPower has set a goal to reach 40% of women in our workforce by 2025 through its 25×25 initiative.
We still have much work to do at SunPower and as an entire industry. Here are a few ways to ensure women will change how the world is powered.
SunPower recently funded installation and operations training programs with SEI Grid Alternatives for women only.
We partnered up with Ada Developers Academy. This is a nonprofit. This free coding school caters to women, BIPOC adults, low-income people, and gender-inclusive adults. We welcomed eight interns through this new relationship to kick-start 2023.
SunPower has created an employee resource group led by women called EmpowHER. The group advocates and supports a gender-balanced workplace where women feel empowered and safe and can have fulfilling careers.
SunPower strives to make workplaces safer for women through initiatives that promote belonging and inclusion. These include allyship and inclusion training for managers, DE&I training embedded in frontline supervisor training, all new hire orientations, and focus groups for women in field roles and operations to understand their needs better.
We can’t stop imagining what the future of solar will be as we celebrate Women’s History Month. We have open positions for those who are ready to change the world. Browse our catalog to see if you can find a place that you would be great at. See you in the field!