Mining Weekly writes that the gender gap in the mining industry will widen if it does not invest in attracting more women to associated careers, in view of the quickly evolving roles and skills required by the industry, particularly owing to Industry 4.0.
“There is no doubt that the mining industry will benefit from being more diverse and inclusive, as this leads to greater resilience, agility, innovation and productivity,” De Beers social impact senior VP Katie Fergusson has emphasised. To help promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skills among female learners, De Beers last month launched a three-year partnership – focused on SA, Namibia and Botswana – with SA-based nonprofit organisation (NPO) WomEng. Meanwhile, despite efforts to make the mining industry more attractive to women globally, the extent of their involvement in the industry has yet to become common knowledge in SA, according to engineering manager Johanette Pienaar. Mmatiki Aphiri of law firm Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr says women continue to face challenges in the mining industry, which include salary disparities, and, particularly for those women working underground, inadequate toilet facilities, ill-fitting safety equipment and constant harassment by their male coworkers, as well as physical limitations, especially when operating machinery specifically designed with men in mind, which can create safety issues for women. According to figures released by Women in Mining in SA (WiMSA) earlier this year, women remain under-represented in the sector. Women only hold 15%, or 54,154, of the 453,543 jobs in the local mining industry, according to figures from Minerals Council SA, with only 241 women in top management roles and about 800 in senior management positions. To further improve tolerance towards women working in the mining industry, change advocates emphasise that companies must continue to support women in the industry by constantly striving towards a culture of diversity.
Read the full original of a comprehensive report on the above at Mining Weekly
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page