This deliverable represents the outcome of task 6.1 (WP6), consisting of creating a Gender Action Plan (GAP) for the OPTHYCS project development. The importance of including gender perspectives in this project reflects the general European strategy of guaranteeing gender practices to fulfil our equal transition goals.
A Gender Action Plan is a document that works as a tool and mechanism for ensuring the gender-inclusive design and implementation of practices and solutions, and to create awareness of the Gender Equality strategy guidelines and objectives of the European Union.
The Gender Action Plan III provides the EU with a policy framework with five pillars of action for accelerating progress towards meeting international commitments and a world in which everyone has space to thrive, such as leading by example, measuring results, or ensuring that all new actions contribute to the gender equality of women’s empowerment.
The renewable energy sector remains one of the minor gender-diverse sectors, male-dominated, and where women earn lower wages than men. But to speak beyond gender towards inclusion in the hydrogen sector, we can observe that two of the four “D” objectives regarding energy transition in the world are to digitalise the services and products and democratize access and participation in the energy markets, in addition to decentralising systems and decarbonising production and consumption. This means that all individuals should have the option to use renewable energy through democratisation and digitalisation. This is why our vision of a GAP goes beyond gender. We assume, as a working principle, that the intersectionality between gender and other variables, such as age, cultural background, religion, capabilities, or sexual preference, should be achieved together as they construct people’s identities, and they are so closely interconnected with human rights.
The way to approach the GAP for OPTHYCS was to create an initial picture of how OPTHYCS is in terms of diversity and inclusion, and to develop later the guidelines to ensure equal participation during the project.
