WiRES (Women in Renewable Energy Sector) is a project about women and green jobs. It was implemented in 2009 and 2010 by Adapt, the Association for International and Comparative Studies in Labour Law and Industrial Relations, in cooperation with its partners: the University of Szeged (Hungary) and the Union for Private Economic Enterprise (Bulgaria).
WiRES’ main objective has been to investigate the role of social dialogue in boosting female employment rates and improving working conditions of women workers in the renewable energy sector in Europe.
The research broke down in three main phases, combining quantitative and qualitative methodologies and a multidisciplinary approach:
Phase 1: scope of the study. Selection of a panel made up by five countries, and identification of specific issues – both related to production methods and cultural context – faced by women in the industries in RE sector.
Phase 2: the role of sectoral tables and public local authorities dealing with the promotion of female employment in renewable energy sector. Analysis of the structure and practice of the social dialogue in relation to women workers’ transition, access to labour market and family-friendly services.
Phase 3: regional case studies selected both at national, local and company level. Best practices of social dialogue and policy recommendations.