When people think of mines, they conjure visions of men covered in dirt and soot from their work deep inside the planet’s crust. It’s considered a masculine environment—hardly the place for women!
Yet, these perceptions have not been valid for a long time. Mining is hard and dirty but also very streamlined and professional. There are far more roles than just drilling for resources underground. And above all, women are participating in the sector in growing numbers.
“Two decades ago, there were a handful of females in the sector and even then, they were not sitting at the table where decisions were made,” says Sylvia Tshivhunge, Xylem’s Country Lead for South Africa. “In recent years, we have seen females taking a lead and bringing in a different dynamic to the sector. We have also seen some companies make it a priority to bring women into the leadership role and make sure that they have the support.”
Mining’s shifting gender dynamic
Though women could participate in some above-ground mining roles, archaic laws separated genders, only allowing men to drill for resources. This situation changed in South Africa with the Mines and Works Act of 1996, which permitted women to go underground. The Mining Charter stipulates a minimum 10% of mine workforces must be women.
Since then, there has been an active drive to promote mining to women and make mining environments safer. The Minerals Council of South Africa’s Women in Mining (WIM) initiative and the non-profit Women In Mining SA (WIMSA) have been driving much of the change, pushing for key improvements such as mentorship opportunities, health & safety improvements, gender-specific facilities, and victim support responding to cases of abuse. Overall, the drive is for a culture that gives women a sense of belonging in the industry.
Such efforts are working. According to the WIM, the country’s first female mining engineer graduated in 1992. In 2022, nearly 3,000 women graduated with qualifications related to mining—32% of the overall graduating group. Looking at the granular employment data, SA’s women represent 48% of chemical engineering degrees, 42% of metallurgical degrees, 40% of mining and mineral engineering degrees, and take the lead with 54% of geosciences degrees.
Bursaries, internships, learnerships, and mentors in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and maths) field play a massive role in these numbers, says Tshivhunge, “It is through these programs that we can change the composition of leadership in organisations and changing the life of a girl child.”
Today, women represent around 15% of SA’s roughly 450,000 mining employees. Initiatives such as WIM aim to grow that proportion to 30% in a few years, targeting 40% general mining employment and 50% management representation by 2035.
Women’s value to mines
Many mines see significant value in employing women and have programmes to attract women to the sector. As one major mining group declares, “We believe women and men are equally capable in mining environments and that gender makes no difference when it comes to being a success.”
Mining employs nearly 4% of South Africa’s labour force and generates over 6% of the country’s GDP. Excluding women would be fiscally negligent. The growth of women in the mining workforce is also a testament that women want the jobs and can do them as well as any men.
Moreover, the involvement of women has led to tangible benefits. There is the larger effect of diverse workforces leading to healthier profits, a phenomenon witnessed across multiple sectors, including mining. A study by PwC of UK mines, where gender parity sits at close to 79%, shows that mines with greater equity are 49% more profitable and 83% more innovative. Including women has also helped address skills shortages, especially professional graduates.
There are also interesting correlations between women in mining and mining safety. The more a mine welcomes and accommodates women, the safer they tend to become. This is due to two reasons. Many women pursue health & safety roles at mines as a way to make their mark. WIM even has a Safety Heroes award that celebrates women making important safety contributions.
The presence of women also prompts mines to invest more smartly in safety. For example, the Mine Health and Safety Council notes that women have different requirements for mining safety gear, creating a level of focus on the topic that improves safety for all workers. Women also help drive overall quality of life investments, such as health facilities, stress management services, designated safe spaces, and more reasonable work/life balance conditions.
“Women are clearly capable of working in mines, and their presence are directly and indirectly changing the overall mining environment to benefit all workers,” says Chetan Mistry, Strategy and Marketing Manager at Xylem Africa. “This is a trend we’re seeing across other sectors as well, such as manufacturing and agriculture. Involving women makes financial sense, it boosts safety, and it makes workplaces more inviting for everyone.”
Welcoming women in mining
There is still much to do. According to the World Bank, women comprise only 15% of the global mining workforce, and the proportion is much lower in many countries. There has also been a dip in female representation, partly caused by a general lack of mining codes supporting gender equality in the sector. Issues such as limited support, dangerous working conditions, and discrimination are still common.
These issues still affect South Africa. But it’s clear that our mining sector is helping lead the change and reaping the benefits. We’ve come a long way since unbanning women from underground activities, and today, that progress continues. Women not only belong in mining—they are making it better for everyone.
