The World Bank is planning to establish a regional network for women practitioners in the power and energy sectors in South Asia (WePOWER) to help expand opportunities for women in energy projects and at corporate utility level. This professional network is designed to help connect and build the capacity of women practitioners and promote career advancement in the power sector. It would also promote normative change regarding women and girls in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. Improved representation of women at all levels in the sector is key to bringing about a more inclusive gender environment.

This assessment served as the first point of engagement for potential members of the professional network, helping to corroborate anecdotal evidence with limited qualitative and quantitative data. Rapid baseline assessments were conducted for each of the eight countries in the World Bank’s South Asia Region. The report collects data from over 100 power sector organisations and engineering programs. This regional report synthesises the information gathered in the eight-country assessments. It is organised into five sections. Section I explains the objectives and scope of the study. Section II provides background and context, including the results of the literature review. Section III summarises the status of women in the SAR power sector today, Section IV presents the findings of the primary research, and the final section presents recommendations and the way forward to WePOWER