Europe’s solar and storage industry has just reached a milestone worth celebrating: close to one million jobs in 2025, according to SolarPower Europe’s EU Solar Jobs Report 2026. But headline employment figures tell us how many people the sector employs. They say very little about who stays, who progresses, and who quietly walks away.

That is why Women in Solar+ Europe (WiSEu) chose to look beyond representation in its contribution to this year’s report. Our article, Beyond representation: what actually keeps women in Solar+, draws on a survey of women across our network in 22 European countries. Instead of asking how many women work in solar, we asked a harder question: why do they come, why do they stay, and what pushes them out?

Our findings confirm something many of us already feel. Women are drawn to solar above all by its purpose, the chance to contribute to climate action and the energy transition. At the recruitment stage, the industry’s pull is clearly working.

But purpose alone does not keep people. Once inside, what matters shifts towards everyday workplace experience: career growth, genuine flexibility, a stable organisation, fair pay and an inclusive culture. Our conclusion is simple: women join Solar+ for the mission. They stay, or leave, for the employer.

“Nobody I know came into solar specifically for the perks. We came because we wanted to evolve the energy system. But purpose doesn’t replace a manager who backs you. ” says Carmen Madrid , Founder of WiSEu.

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