The diversity of situations faced by women working in the mining sector is evident, and they must balance these with the roles they play in the various spheres in which they operate.
There are various limitations faced by women in mining, which, to a greater or lesser extent, impact different personal, social, and professional spheres. The primary conflict women encounter relates to their self-fulfillment. The sacrifice of personal aspects due to working in the mining sector. That is, there is a feeling among the women surveyed that their work in the mining sector may be limiting their ability to reach their full personal and professional potential, which coincides with who details that women face very significant challenges, such as career development and growth and discrimination in the management structure, as well as a marked wage gap in relation to the opposite gender.
Similarly, that the mining sector remains highly masculinized, which limits or obstructs job opportunities for women who have studied in STEM mining-related fields.
Another issue to highlight is the inequality compared to men working in the same field, as the lack of recognition for the work performed and the perceived inequality in working conditions between men and women were the factors that received the highest scores. In other words, women believe that, during their professional careers, they have faced such situations.
This is the case in the global mining industry, as women face gender discrimination, sexual harassment, and sexual demands during the hiring process, which hinders their professional development and job security. This indicates that many women feel that their contribution to the mining sector is not adequately valued or recognized, which can affect their morale and commitment to their work. In the same vein, the work points out that women workers in this sector face a lack of not only salary but also professional recognition, which perpetuates their exclusion from strategic discussions and from the most highly valued positions(Castañeda-Burciaga et al., 2025).
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