Parental Leave Policies in the Mining Sector

This report examines parental leave policies within the large-scale mining sector, comparing international standards, national laws across 12 countries, and the specific policies of major mining companies. It highlights a discrepancy between formal policies and the actual workplace culture, which often contributes to a "leaky pipeline" where women leave the industry at earlier career stages.

• While mining companies generally meet or exceed national and international parental leave standards on paper, women continue to exit the mining workforce at earlier stages than men, typically between the ages of 35 and 44.
• Workplace culture remains a significant barrier to the effective use of parental leave, with women reporting anxiety about disclosing pregnancies and fearing that they will not have a job to return to or will be assigned a lesser role.
• There is a lack of consistency regarding the eligibility requirements for parental leave, such as minimum length of service or contract type, which may disproportionately affect women who are overrepresented in part-time roles.
• The transition back to work is identified as a critical period for retaining women; effective support mechanisms include flexible work arrangements, breastfeeding facilities, and childcare provision.
• There is an emerging need to normalize parental leave for men to promote a more equal distribution of care and support women's return to work, though men often fear that taking leave will negatively impact their career growth.
• Mining companies like BHP and Rio Tinto have implemented global minimum standards for paid parental leave (18 weeks) that surpass the national requirements of some countries they operate in, such as Argentina and Ghana.

APA

Provencher, M., Strohmayr, S., & Dischinger, B. (2023). Parental Leave Policies in the Mining Sector. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2023-11/parental-leave-policies-in-the-mining-sector.pdf

Chicago

Provencher, Marion, Sally Strohmayr, and Barbara Dischinger. Parental Leave Policies in the Mining Sector. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2023. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2023-11/parental-leave-policies-in-the-mining-sector.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Provencher |first1=Marion |last2=Strohmayr |first2=Sally |last3=Dischinger |first3=Barbara |title=Parental Leave Policies in the Mining Sector |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=November 2023 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2023-11/parental-leave-policies-in-the-mining-sector.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{provencher2023parental, author = {Provencher, Marion and Strohmayr, Sally and Dischinger, Barbara}, title = {{Parental Leave Policies in the Mining Sector}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2023}, month = nov, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2023-11/parental-leave-policies-in-the-mining-sector.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }