Gender, regulation, and corporate social responsibility in the extractive sector: The case of Equinor's social investments in Tanzania

Siri Lange,Victoria Wyndham

doi:10.1016/j.wsif.2020.102434

Abstract

Multinational corporations have been criticised for their rhetorical support to - as opposed to substantive engagement with - gender equality in their corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities in poor countries. Many host countries have started regularizing CSR in recent years, and there is great variation between countries and different sectors when it comes to the gendered dimensions of social investments. This article focuses on the factors that influence CSR in the petroleum sector, using Equinor in Tanzania as a case study. We argue that national regulations in host countries, perceptions of risk, as well as the need to gain ‘a social license to operate’ from host communities, means that the gendered dimensions of CSR in the petroleum sector differ in important ways from other sectors. The study also shows that company ownership by a state that profiles itself as a champion in gender equality does not in itself lead to gender sensitive social investments. The main ‘beneficiaries’ of Equinor's social investments in Tanzania are men, but this fact is disguised by using a gender neutral language in CSR reporting.

Highlights

Global development institutions like the UN and the World Bank have invited business entities to play a central role as development partners, and several of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are linked to the private sector
We look at the different factors that may influence the gendering of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), focusing on the following three research questions: i) In what ways do guidelines and regulations at global and national levels influ ence the CSR of oil and gas companies? ii) How do oil and gas com panies’ perceptions of risk influence social investments? iii) How do
We argue that the company has adopted the business case for gender equality in terms of leadership and staff, but corporate guidelines do not focus on gender equality in social investments

Summary

Introduction

Global development institutions like the UN and the World Bank have invited business entities to play a central role as development partners, and several of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are linked to the private sector. The “gender equality as smart economics” agenda has won terrain This agenda was initially introduced by the World Bank and later adopted by the UN, other development actors, and business. While some companies have appropriated the concept of ‘women’s empowerment’ for their own need, women as a group, and women’s perspectives and needs are still missing from many CSR initiatives (Grosser & McCarthy, 2019: 1106; Kolk & Lenfant, 2018: 14). This is true for the extractive sector. We look at the different factors that may influence the gendering of CSR, focusing on the following three research questions: i) In what ways do guidelines and regulations at global and national levels influ ence the CSR of oil and gas companies? ii) How do oil and gas com panies’ perceptions of risk influence social investments? iii) How do

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