GLOBAL WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
women were better suited for office-based
positions. Another woman noted that a
recruiter suggested she not apply for a
specific position because it was a “very
male job.”
Both men and women interviewed in
the study pointed out that female new-
hires were often sidelined into non-techni-
cal positions with limited opportunities to
advance or have influence. This created a
negative environment where other women
would then seek office-based jobs instead
of field jobs in order to avoid being scruti-
nized by male coworkers.
Participants also discussed the cultural
and social barriers that women had to
confront. This included a lack of prop-
er accommodations for women working
on offshore rigs – several female inter-
viewees mentioned, for example, a lack of
women-only restrooms. There is often also
a lack of PPE fitted for women, including
coveralls and headgear for women who
wear a hijab.
The study also noted that company
restrictions on women traveling alone
was still common; one participant said
her employer does not allow its female
employees to travel without a mahram, or
a male blood relative. Policies like this can
restrict women from pursuing and explor-
ing the various opportunities that their
employer offers, like traveling to indus-
try conferences or business meetings, or
transfers to foreign countries.
One male participant who was inter-
viewed suggested that appointing more
women to managerial positions can help
to address some of these issues. The study
noted his comment around how cultivat-
ing “a diversity of gender allows us to be
a lot more effective and solve problems in
a smart way versus having only one way
of thinking.”
One female participant said she has
seen, in many instances, that men are
willing to help women when they face a
lack of accommodations – for instance,
not objecting when women have to use
men’s restrooms on a rig. At the same
time, she expressed skepticism that the
industry will see significant change –
especially in terms of providing women-
specific accommodations – until there are
more female managers setting policy and
more women working at wellsites.
40 Universities can play an important role
when it comes t o preparing female stu-
dents to work in the oil and gas industry
in the Persian Gulf region, TAMUQ Pro-
fessor Albertus Retnant o said at the
2022 SPE Annual Technical Conference
in Houston last October . But he also en-
couraged those within the industry to
do more to help promote gender
inclusivity .
Successes and suggestions
While the experiences shared by the
participants clearly show there is a need
for improvement, the study also pointed to
signs of progress . BP’s Young Adventurers
camp in the United Arab Emirates is a
good example. While it’s not meant only
for women, it is inclusive of women and
encourages them to consider engineer-
ing careers. The camp puts participants
through physical challenges, such as raft
building, abseiling and other team activi-
ties that encourage campers to use engi-
neering skills and knowledge. The camp-
ers are divided by gender, and the women’s
camp features an all-female staff.
One woman in the study said she partic-
ipated in the camp when she was younger,
and even cited the experience as a key
factor in her decision to study engineering
in school and, ultimately, begin an oilfield
career. She now works as a petroleum
engineer for BP and has continued her
involvement with the camp as a volunteer.
The study cited this statement from her:
“There are still these places within this
region that a girl can’t even imagine that
she can be an engineer or there could be
female engineers. That’s why I want to
continue this program, to make sure these
girls know that there are engineers in the
field, and if she is interested and wants to
do it, then she can.”
Another example of progress is what
universities in the region are doing to
prepare female students for jobs in the
oilfield, Dr Retnanto said. At TAMUQ, for
example, women made up nearly 70% of its
petroleum engineering graduating class
in 2021. Every year, the school organizes
field trips for all of its petroleum engineer-
ing students, including women, to visit
onshore E&P sites.
Overall, all the participants in the study
said promoting gender inclusivity within
the industry will require even more effort
from company leadership . They suggested
that companies leverage internship pro-
grams to incentivize more female students
to consider careers in oil and gas, as well
as programs that encourage women to
enter managerial roles once they start
their careers. One male participant in the
study encouraged women to enhance their
technical capabilities by participating in
as many hands-on training and intern-
ships as they can.
Flexible work hours could also go a long
way toward promoting gender inclusivity.
Several women said they believe schedule
flexibility and remote work can allow orga-
nizations to retain more female employees
who may face challenges around childcare
and caring for aging relatives. One male
participant said his employer has given
more attention to this in recent years by
providing female employees with a blue-
print for how to return to work after they
take maternity leave.
Other things that women themselves
could do to promote gender equality
include taking the initiative to ask ques-
tions , or speaking up when they see unfair
treatment. The participants also encour-
aged women to report discriminatory
remarks they encounter in the workplace
to their managers, and said it was impor-
tant for women in the workplace to sup-
port one another. DC
More information available in SPE 210236, “First-
Hand Perspectives of the Pro-Female Notion in
the Oil and Gas Industry in the Gulf.”
M A R C H/A P R I L 2023 • D R I L L I N G C O N T R AC T O R