Women at Iberdrola Group

Acting for effective gender equality

34 % of the contracts formalized in 2023 at Iberdrola were for women under 30 years of age. Although the progress made so far is significant, our goal is to continue moving forward to become an international benchmark in equality, both inside and outside the company.

Two Iberdrola employees at the facilities of the Wikinger offshore wind farm.

Within Iberdrola Group we maintain a firm commitment to our human capital as our best asset and the key to our success, and we are firmly behind a social model committed to professional excellence and a good quality of life for our employees. For all these reasons, our corporate policy focuses on creating a favourable framework for labour relations based on equal opportunities, non-discrimination and respect for diversity.

"Equal opportunities are a reality in our company. We should be talking about abilities, not gender"

Ignacio Galán, Iberdrola Chairman

Corporate initiatives promoting equality¹ Nota

Effective equality between men and women forms part of Iberdrola's core values, as stated in our Sustainable Human Capital Management and Anti-Harassment Policy. To implement this to its full extent, the company has launched different initiatives in all the countries in which it has a presence.

The Iberdrola Corporate Governance System expresses the company's firm commitment to equal opportunities, the basis of our commitment to gender equality in four areas of management: recruitment and selection, salary conditions, training and professional development and communication, which we divide into six areas of action:

Promoting equality within and beyond Iberdrola.
Introducing positive measures of action to correct inequalities.
Ensuring that women take part in all consultation and decision-making areas.
Removing obstacles to women's careers.
Strengthening mechanisms to correct under-representation of women with the necessary qualification.
Fostering work-life balance and flexibility measures from a gender perspective.

At the Group level, Iberdrola is a member of the European Round Table, a community-wide initiative that brings together 50 presidents and CEOs of European multinational companies with the aim of designing and defending policies that create a strong, open and competitive European Union. Within this initiative, Iberdrola collaborates in the working group on Social Changes, which focuses on the issues related to the Union's most valuable resource, its people. One of its four action areas is to encourage the promotion of women to leadership positions.

In 2019, it also joined UN Women External link, opens in new window., which supports the advancement of equality between women and men.

In 2020, the company also published the first Diversity and Inclusion Report, the latest version of which describes the initiatives that are being carried out to generate a diversified, just and equal work environment both within the company and in our relationships with stakeholders.

Spain

Iberdrola España is part of the #CEOPorLaDiversidad Alliance, through which over 90 executives of large companies in Spain have committed to promoting diversity policies in their companies.
The company is also working on a number of initiatives in line with our commitment to promoting STEM careers among women. TaleMto con M de mujer is an event to attract young female talent in STEM careers. The STEM Education Days seek to encourage future male and female teachers. Technovation Girls is a global competition for 8 to 18 years-old girls to solve real-world problems through technology and entrepreneurship. And lastly, the Cybersecurity Bootcamp seeks to promote female talent in this discipline.
In 2023 Iberdrola España joined the Womenalia and Aemener alliances to help companies approach talent and promote STEM careers among women. We are also part of the STEAM Alliance for female talent “Niñas en Pie de Ciencia” ("Girls in Science") signed with the Ministry of Education, which aims to contribute to an education and training system that eliminates stereotypes.
Through the Reto 8M initiative and in collaboration with the Eurofirms Foundation, Iberdrola España granted scholarships to 20 unemployed women with disabilities in 2023 and offered support in career guidance, training and empowerment.
In 2023, through the Protagonistas de su Futuro programme, the company promoted the social and employment integration of over 290 women victims of gender-based violence and/or in severe social exclusion.
In addition, Iberdrola España’s SUMA programme facilitates the return to work of women who have taken a long break in their professional life due to maternity or family care.
Boosting women's sport. Iberdrola España is the main sponsor/partner of women's sports, supporting over 32 federations and their national women's teams.
Furthermore, with the aim of recognising the contributions of women in music and advocating for equal opportunities, Iberdrola España organised this first edition of the Spotify Equal FestExternal link, opens in new window. , an all-female festival.

United Kingdom

Our subsidiary ScottishPower maintains the Returner ProgrammeExternal link, opens in new window. , a comprehensive support programme dedicated to experienced professionals seeking to re-enter the working world after a career break, especially women after maternity leave.
The company funds Smart Works Scotland to support women from minority ethnic backgrounds to get sustainable jobs and help them to thrive in their new job.
Balanced lists of candidates, gender interviews and gender de-coding in all job descriptions.
ScottishPower remains committed to the Energy Leaders Coalition, which brings together the leading CEOs of the UK's energy sector to improve gender diversity in their companies and in the sector in general.
The company is a member of the Women's Engineering Society (WES), a professional network of women in technology and engineering that provides inspiration, support and development for future professionals.
Member of POWERful Women (PfW), an organisation that promotes diversity in the energy sector.
In 2023, ScottishPower announced a landmark partnership agreement with Scottish Women's Football (SWF) and the Scottish Women's Premier League (SWPL) to boost women's football at all ages and levels in Scotland over the next three years.

United States

Collaboration with local universities and organisations to promote diversity, including the WomENERGY program, which focuses on discovering and empowering the talent of Avangrid³'s women through an action plan to train the company's future leaders. In 2020, more than 40 % of senior management positions of the US affiliate were held by women.

Brazil

Through the Escola de EletricistasEnlace externo, se abre en ventana nueva. , Neoenergia⁴ encourages women’s interest in the electricity market to improve the gender balance. The objective is to provide them with specific training through theoretical knowledge and practical experience programmes lasting up to seven months.
Neoenergia is the first energy company in Brazil to officially join the #Brasil SemMisoginia (#BrazilWithoutMisogyny) campaign, with which the Ministry of Women aims to bring together the public and private sectors, and the civil society and third sector to address all forms of violence and discrimination against women.
In 2023, Neoenergia gave the Inspirar Award to 16 women leaders, who drive social transformation through art and culture in vulnerable communities.
The company is the main sponsor/partner of the women's national football teams in Brazil.

Mexico

Measures to combine maternity and a new edition of the Women with Energy Forum, an event that tackles subjects like diversity and particularly the presence of women in management positions, as well as the communication initiatives, focused on the diversity existing in the organisation.
In 2023, Iberdrola Mexico created a new affinity group called Mujeres con Energía (Energised Women), with the aim of giving visibility and empowering women in the company.

External link, opens in new window.Iberdrola Group's contribution to equal opportunities and non-discrimination has recently been recognised internationally. It has been included for the fifth year in a row in the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index. The company is one of the honours companies committed to transparency in information on gender issues and progress in equality between women and men.

Corporate initiatives for balancing personal and work life

Iberdrola promotes the work-life balance in all group companies.

Iberdrola has more than 70 measures to promote balance between work and personal life, such as the payment of 100 % of the salary during maternity leave, paid leave of 15 days before childbirth, flexible reduction of working hours to five without wage reduction until the kid turns one and unpaid leave for up to four years, in which access to vocational training is allowed.

In addition, the intensive working day was universalised in Spain and options are offered for employees on non-study days, in addition to training courses for children. The 'Iberdrola Parent School' has also continued to offer employees the chance to take part in different programmes with their children, as well as summer camps for employees' children.

In the United Kingdom, ScottishPower has upgraded workspace design, providing a variety of ways of working. Workers are also free to choose the best place to work, inside or outside the office.

To control overtime in Brazil, a system has been established to alert employees after eight hours of daily work, turning off lights and air conditioning after a certain number of hours, among other measures. Some companies also have flexible timetables, and maternity leave has been extended to six months, two more than those guaranteed by law.

In Mexico, maternity leave lasts 84 days. At the end of this period, the workers are entitled to take leave and their jobs are held open for them, as well as special working hours for maternity.

¹ Information extracted from the Diversity and Inclusion Report 2023.

2 Neoenergia, S. A. is 50 % + 1 share indirectly owned by Iberdrola, S. A.

Iberdrola and SDG 5: Gender equality