Mining is an industry which has always been male-dominated, regardless of geographical location. There have been positive steps which have helped to integrate women into the industry, but females continue to be under-represented and Mining is still largely a man’s domain(Writer, 2014).
Many of the problems women face when pursuing a mining career are those which arise due to women’s traditional role as the primary caregiver. It can be very difficult for females to achieve a good work/life balance because of the industry’s constraints in terms of flexibility, remote site work and juggling child care with often unsociable hours and expectations of overtime. These problems arise irrespective of the worker’s gender, but naturally a higher percentage of women assume the role of primary caregiver, so of course these issues are more visible to them.
“There are a lot of barriers caused by my gender; as a woman, if you’re doing well in a male-dominated industry they think you’re having an affair with one of the senior managers. Every time I was promoted, they would say, ‘how come you promoted her? Is she having a relationship with you?” said the BHP Billiton mine manager in south Africa, 2014.
As a matter of facts, mining is evolving at a phenomenal rate, and the industry needs a diverse and gender balanced workforce to ‘keep up’, support transformational change and remain competitive. In addition, diversity and gender equity promotes innovation, creativity, productivity, profitability, and adaptability, which are critical in the highly competitive and rapidly advancing world of mining(Clayton, 2023).
As society, we still have a long way to go to change the perception that organizations are just employing women to hit a target. While we have these targets, it’s not our motivation.
Are you a woman currently working in the mining industry? Share your wonderful daily achievements with us!
Reference:
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Clayton, J. (2023, February 19). 7 facts, fables & fabulous things about being a woman in mining & construction. WORK180. https://work180.com/en-us/blog/7-facts-fables-fabulous-things-about-being-a-woman-in-mining-construction
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Writer, M. C. S. (2014, April 15). Let’s talk about: Women in the mining industry. MINING.COM. https://www.mining.com/lets-talk-about-women-in-the-mining-industry-31775/
