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Working Women in the Green Economy

The green economy will offer new— and sustainable—opportunities for consumers, workers, business owners and the environment. Business and Professional Women's (BPW) Foundation is dedicated to the creation of successful workplaces for both working women and employers.

BPW Foundation encourages women to pursue any career, any field, any position. Historically, we have studied the prevalence of women in non-traditional occupations and are especially proud of the working women that enter into such fields (as defined by the U.S. Department of Labor as a field where 25 percent or less of the workforce are women).

Our organization is particularly interested in ensuring that women are part of the workforce that is meeting America’s clean energy needs.

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Consider this site a valuable resource if you're looking to:

  • learn more about the green economy;
  • learn about the skills needed to participate in the green economy;
  • find green jobs;
  • learn to green your workplace.

As the world turns green, find out how the green economy is evolving and what opportunities exist for women- and for you- in various industries and market segments related to green careers.

Moving from Red to Green: Working Women in the Green Economy

Through a grant from Walmart Foundation, BPW Foundation's pilot project, Moving from Red to Green: Working Women in the Green Economy will explore the demand for green jobs for women and determine what programs and services can successfully prepare and link women with the jobs and the companies that will best suit their needs. The result will be moving women from unemployment, or under-employment, to providing them with access to sustainable job options and the skills and support they need to succeed.

This project also serves as primary research to investigate how to train, educate and prepare women for the green economy. In particular, the project will support opportunities for women across the country with specific needs and challenges, including low and moderate income earning women, displaced women workers, underrepresented populations and women veterans.

What is a Green Job?

The question is almost cliché at this point: What is a green job?   

The Bureau of Labor statistics recently accepted comments for a definition of green jobs, but in the mean time, many different organizations have drawn up their own ways of claiming the green space. Read BPW Foundations comments on the definition of green jobs.

BPW Foundation knows that a job can only truly be green if the position is available to all. For the green economy to be fully realized, there must be an emphasis on access, equity and career growth for those performing the work of making our world more energy efficient.  

What Opportunities Exist for Women?

Although there has been substantial investment in the development of green jobs, some are concerned that those funds are being focused in fields that are typically “male-dominant,” such as science, engineering and construction, and that none of the stimulus money (ARRA) has been directly earmarked for training women.   Nonetheless, $55 million has been allocated to the development of green training programs, and $500,000 has been set aside specifically for green jobs for veterans.

Are you a woman in a green job? Are you a green employer looking to hire women? Let us know! Email redtogreen@bpwfoundation.org for more information on our green initiative.

 

  

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