The industry must seriously address the treatment of female professionals, both young and old, who contribute significantly to this field.
On 22 August 2024, the Minister of Electricity and Energy, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, convened a women’s dialogue at Brynston Country Club, where discussions focused on the impactful roles women play in various energy sectors.
However, the conversation also highlighted the ongoing challenges women face, particularly in male-dominated industries like nuclear energy.
…women comprise less than 25% of the global nuclear workforce…
Leadership in the nuclear sector remains predominantly male, and there is an urgent need for these leaders to take the issue of women’s empowerment seriously.
It is no longer acceptable for qualified and professional women to be treated as second-class citizens in their roles and responsibilities. Women’s participation and leadership should not be reduced to mere box-ticking exercises; these efforts must have genuine substance and intention behind them.
Industry organisations have various policies, legislative instruments, and procedures that are supposed to guide behaviour and ensure fair treatment in the workplace.
These frameworks dictate job descriptions, roles, responsibilities, and workplace conduct. Unfortunately, those in senior management who seem to believe that the rules apply only to subordinates often ignore these guidelines.
The underrepresentation of women in the nuclear industry is a significant concern.
According to a 2023 OECD-NEA report, women comprise less than 25% of the global nuclear workforce—a glaring disparity that South African leaders must urgently address.
In 2020, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), under Director General Rafael Grossi, set an ambitious goal to achieve gender parity in professional and higher categories by 2025.
The IAEA introduced several measures to support this goal, including using gender-neutral language in job descriptions, increasing female representation on interview panels, and conducting targeted outreach to attract more female applicants.
By 2022, these efforts led to over 40% of the IAEA’s professional and higher staff being women—an 8% increase in just two years, marking the highest rate of female representation in the agency’s history.
Ambassador Grossi’s example provides a clear blueprint for national leaders to follow.
South Africa’s nuclear industry should adopt similar targets and strategies to increase female representation, making this a key metric in annual performance evaluations.
The persistent exploitation and suppression of women—where they are denied opportunities to compete, thrive, and be recognised for their talents—must end. This industry must move beyond seeing women as mere “flower girls” and instead value their authority and contributions.
The nuclear industry is not immune to gender-based violence (GBV), with recent stories highlighting incidents of victimisation and harassment of women by their superiors.
GBV in the workplace can manifest in various forms, including physical abuse, sexual violence, verbal and sexist abuse, bullying, psychological abuse, and economic coercion. These acts violate human rights and often go unpunished, as male-dominated systems tend to protect the perpetrators at the expense of the victims.
The impact of GBV on women in the workplace is profound. Women may lose their jobs for challenging abusive colleagues or may choose to remain absent from work to avoid harassment, only to be penalised for their absence.
The psychological toll of GBV can also affect a woman’s productivity, job security, and overall well-being. When the system fails to protect women, they may feel forced to endure the abuse out of desperation to keep their jobs. In the worst cases, unchecked workplace violence can even lead to the death of a worker.
Women who choose to speak out against GBV demonstrate immense bravery, but they often face secondary victimisation, judgment, and isolation. To protect these women, systems must be strengthened to prevent retaliation and ensure that abusers are held accountable.
The nuclear industry must cultivate a culture of compassion, respect, and fairness toward female workers. In a space dominated by powerful men, it is essential that male counterparts view women not as objects or subordinates but as equals deserving of dignity and fair treatment.
Male leaders in the nuclear industry, along with organisations like Women in Nuclear South Africa (WiNSA) and the South Africa Young Nuclear Professionals Society (SAYNPS), must not remain silent in the face of wrongdoing.
Silence in the face of abuse is complicity. Men in leadership roles should treat their female colleagues with the same respect and care they would expect for their own daughters, sisters, and wives.
The IAEA’s initiatives to support women’s participation, such as exchange programmes, training, workshops, and technical meetings, should serve as a model for South Africa’s nuclear industry.
South Africa, which contributes funding to the IAEA, should take full advantage of these opportunities by sending more female nuclear professionals to these programmes to build their leadership capacities.
Strategies should be developed to make it compulsory for female nuclear professionals to participate in such programmes, with these efforts tied to annual performance evaluations.
The industry must also review its policies and develop strategies not only to promote gender equality but to protect women from exploitation, including interns.
The current leadership in the nuclear industry, regardless of gender—has a unique opportunity to leave a lasting legacy by creating empowering workplaces for women. By fostering a blend of young and experienced women in leadership roles, the industry can ensure effective succession planning and recognise the best among them to lead.
As we look to the future, it is essential that South Africa’s nuclear industry commits to genuine, meaningful change in how it supports and empowers women. Only then can we create a more equitable and just industry for all. ESI
About the author
Princess Mthombeni, an award-winning nuclear communicator and founder of Africa4Nuclear, writes in her role as a lifelong advocate for nuclear energy and coordinator for Stand Up For Nuclear South Africa.
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