Shared Parenting Key to Women's Career Growth, Says Expert

Women in renewable energy are getting a clear message about what actually works to advance their careers, and it's not what most companies are focusing on.

Jana Plananska founded her own strategic consultancy at 31, immediately after completing her PhD. For five years, she's been advising EU institutions and tech companies on electric mobility and energy transitions while building a business across multiple sectors.

Her boldest insight? The renewable energy transition isn't failing because of technology. It's failing because the industry hasn't built functioning ecosystems that include diverse perspectives, particularly women's voices in the socio-economic dimensions of clean energy.

Plananska points to childcare policies as the single most effective tool for retaining women in technical fields. Too often, women face an impossible choice between caring for children and staying engaged at work.

The solution isn't just offering flexibility to mothers. When companies provide flexible hours, part-time options, and remote work to the entire workforce, fathers can share childcare equally. That's when women's careers can advance dramatically.

Why This Inspires

Plananska's journey shows what's possible when someone takes a chance despite uncertainty. She launched her advisory company on impulse, choosing the risky path over the safe one.

Her success came partly through allies who created equal opportunities. One early client engaged her in a high-level advisory role and never questioned her capability based on gender. He trusted her expertise and gave her space to demonstrate value.

That trust matters enormously. Plananska notes that people from less fortunate backgrounds and women often feel they don't belong in technical fields. They hold back from voicing ideas, assuming everyone else knows more.

Her advice cuts through that self-doubt. No one really knows what they're doing, she says, and the most confident people often know the least. Show up anyway. Take chances. Your ideas are worthy.

The renewable energy and electric vehicle sectors need socio-economic perspectives to succeed. If technical knowledge alone could drive the transition, we'd already have 100 percent electric vehicle market share and fully renewable energy.

Building inclusive workplaces isn't just about supporting women directly. It's about creating conditions where caring responsibilities can be shared equally, where everyone gets the same opportunities to be entrepreneurial, and where thoughts are heard without gender ever becoming an issue.

Plananska's message is simple: be bold enough to show up, because it's better to be too loud than to regret staying silent.