Women play critical roles in the success of our companies, economies and societies. Their perspectives, lived experiences and traits bring important value and deserve our support. According to the United Nations, women worldwide make 77 cents for every dollar earned by men. At Sempra, we understand the urgency of this problem and are committed to uplifting women and celebrating their contributions.
Sempra and our family of companies continue to invest in and recognize the importance of gender equality and representation. As part of the Paradigm for Parity coalition, Sempra has worked to advance women into leadership positions and worked toward gender pay parity.
Since our inception, we have been committed to working with community leaders and organizations that align with our values of do the right thing, champion people and shape the future.
In the last year alone, Sempra supported 3 million women and girls across the communities we serve in collaboration with nonprofit partners working in our priority areas of climate action, economic prosperity and energy access. Sempra’s investment of over $1.4 million is helping to build the next generation of women climate leaders and advocates, while advancing educational attainment, professional growth and development, and employment opportunities for women and girls.
In addition to our internal commitment to gender equality and diversity, Sempra and its family of companies work with external partners, including Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE) and Women in Blue — San Diego Police Foundation. HOPE is a nonprofit organization, supported by Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas), that equips Latina communities with leadership and advocacy education and training in order to advance political and economic parity for Latinas and all women.
In partnership with the San Diego Police Foundation, San Diego Gas & Electric Company (SDG&E) helped launch Women in Blue: Leadership Knows No Gender, a new educational series about safety that spotlights women leaders in the San Diego Police Department. Through this initiative, the San Diego Police Foundation is breaking the stigma around women in leadership positions within the police force.
In Texas, Sempra supports the Governor’s Commission for Women, which focuses on advancing women’s economic opportunities, especially for women-owned businesses. With the goal of making Texas a leading state for women-owned businesses, the commission is working to mitigate the barriers many women face when it comes to accessing high-quality entrepreneurship opportunities and achieving prosperity.
Similarly in San Diego, SDG&E supports The Social Entrepreneurs for Economic Development (SEED) Program which works with refugee and immigrant entrepreneurs to provide micro-grants and business development training. Eighty percent of program participants are women who are hoping to start or maintain a business that targets a societal problem or community need. Both programs help uplift women and communities at-large.
As Sempra works toward its aim of having net-zero emissions by 2050, the company is proud to support organizations addressing climate change. Sempra and SDG&E work with Wildcoast on two projects, the Ocean Conservation Leadership Project for Tribal Youth and The Mangrove Conservations and Restoration in the Mexican Pacific. The Ocean Conservation Leadership Project for Tribal Youth is an internship program that builds climate literacy and coastal and marine stewardship through conservation and nature-based education. Seventy percent of those taking part in this internship are women, all of whom are from tribes or areas in San Diego with limited access to recreational open space or parkland.
Simultaneously, Sempra is working with Wildcoast on mangrove conservation and restoration, working with two local groups of women to plant a total of 43,500 mangrove seedlings in Laguna San Ignacio, Baja California Sur, Mexico. These mangroves are intended to aid communities most susceptible to the negative impacts of climate change in carbon filtration, wildlife habitat, erosion control, food security and much more.
With the help of local women activists and students, the company’s support of Wildcoast is helping positively transform communities along the Southern California Pacific Coast while helping drive positive change for women, communities of color and the environment.
As we look beyond Women’s History Month, our vision of delivering energy with purpose paves the way for us to continue to work to advance positive outcomes for women across the Sempra family of companies and within the communities we serve.