{"id":11924,"date":"2023-09-25T15:06:09","date_gmt":"2023-09-25T18:06:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fund.ar\/publicacion\/being-and-looking-the-part-sustainable-insertion-of-female-mining-workers\/"},"modified":"2024-04-17T17:49:03","modified_gmt":"2024-04-17T20:49:03","slug":"being-and-looking-the-part-sustainable-insertion-of-female-mining-workers","status":"publish","type":"publicacion","link":"https:\/\/fund.ar\/en\/publicacion\/being-and-looking-the-part-sustainable-insertion-of-female-mining-workers\/","title":{"rendered":"Being and looking the part: sustainable insertion of female mining workers"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Mining is one of the most masculinized industries in the country and also (coincidentally?) one of the best paid. Although more and more women are joining the sector, the biggest challenge is the sustainability of their careers. What is it like to be a woman in a mine? A diagnosis of the sectoral gaps in the industry, with public policy proposals to push for change.<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Illustration: Juan Pez<\/a><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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While women’s participation in mining is minimal, for those who do break through, it offers a pathway to financial independence and high-quality employment. However, entry comes with challenges and sacrifices, including long working hours, consecutive days in camps, physical strain, and precarious safety and hygiene conditions. The experiences of female workers provide insights into the obstacles hindering their entry and retention in the industry, as well as the catalysts enabling their persistence. Understanding these experiences is essential for developing public policies that aim to mainstream gender perspectives in the mining labor industry and broaden women’s employment opportunities.<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Mining growth: A labor opportunity<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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In Argentina, the metal and lithium mining sector is a significant source of foreign currency. The industry boasts the lowest rate of unregistered employment and highest salaries, alongside oil and gas. It currently employs over 14,000 workers, of which only 13% are women.
\nThe launch of new mining operations, currently in construction and feasibility stages, is expected to attract an increased influx of workers into the sector. This growth offers an opportunity to mainstream a gender perspective in the mining labor market and expand employment opportunities for women. If the current trend of increasing female participation continues, it will take at least 15 years for women to make up only 30% of the workforce in large-scale mining.
\nA change in strategy is imperative. Establishing a critical mass of female workers capable of driving transformations and facilitating the industry’s demasculinization requires active policies and practices to expedite and solidify progress. Identifying catalysts for gender equality in the mining industry, as well as operational, organizational, and structural obstacles, is essential.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Male-dominated mining industry<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Female participation<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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The participation of female workers in metal and lithium production is limited, selective, and in its infancy, accounting for just 12.6% of the workforce. Argentina surpasses some countries like Peru (7%), close to Colombia (13%) but lags behind others like Chile (17%) and global mining hubs such as South Africa (17%), Australia (18%), Canada (19%) and Sweden (25%).<\/span><\/p>\n

Women’s participation in the mining industry is limited and selective. Observing the different items that compose it, we see that, however small, the greatest female participation is in the lithium sector, where 20% of workers are female, compared to only 10% in metal mining.<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Occupational segregation<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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