Women Are Leading India’s EV Revolution, Will the World Follow?
Technology advances are breaking all kinds of patterns. One notable improvement is more that women are to be found in automotive workplaces in India, and they are leading the EV revolution in that country. Clean technology is multiplying jobs for women there.
In some places, such as the transportation industry, new technology is a force for career opportunities for women in what once was a man’s only domain. Those opportunities are also proving that a more gender-balanced workforce isn’t just good for women, it’s good for business. Yet, gender neutrality comes with effort, and breaking that bias comes with effort.
To move into an industry traditionally dominated by men, it is easier if the work is also new and innovative. That’s why the EV revolution is so important. New work brings in new people. Importantly, more Indian women than ever are engineering students. 42% of STEM graduates in India were women in 2018. That is a higher percentage than in the U.S., Germany, and other large economies.
One of India’s largest electric scooter factories is populated by women employees. As Julia Muir explains, “When a new technology comes in, there is the ability to take a woman on her merit, and not necessarily have to prove historic knowledge.” No, this is not Tesla, Toyota, or GM — perhaps they will catch up.
Technology refines and expands with women stepping into the roles of engineers. Encouraging young women, some electric scooter companies — for example, Ola and Piaggio — thrive successfully with an all-female staff in some of their factories. It’s not just manufacturing floor workers, though — more engineers and women are also becoming designers and CEOs.
We have also read some great reports on CleanTechnica from Remeredzai Joseph Kuhudzai regarding Africa e-mobility startups. As the workforces there strive to collectively move away from fossil fuels, women do find more opportunities alongside changing technology and transportation — going where no woman easily went before.
The following video discusses how more women in the workplace of an automobile manufacturer are better for business. Even though the major players in the auto industry around the world are still dominated by men, women are finding success at Indian EV companies. Why? The video explores that topic.
This video goes inside the factory of Ather, a major electric scooter company based in India, interviewing workers, CEOs, and experts across the global EV sector to find out what the rest of the world can learn from India.
Progress has a new expression. pic.twitter.com/Zn2Zhb3E4g
— Ather Energy (@atherenergy) June 17, 2022
Hat tip to Albert Han, a London-based video journalist with the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters. He works as part of a small team producing explanatory videos and short documentaries on climate change, technology, and people-focused economic issues.
Thank you for this video. We appreciate it.
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