MUJERES Y LA MINA DEL FUTURO

This report provides a gender-perspective analysis of employment and competencies in Peru's large-scale mining sector. It identifies significant barriers to female participation, including deeply rooted gender biases, a lack of women in STEM careers, and structural challenges such as rotating shifts. The study finds that female labor participation in the Peruvian mining sector remained relatively constant at around 6% between 2010 and 2019, with women primarily concentrated in administrative roles and underrepresented in operational and managerial positions.

• Female labor participation in the Peruvian mining sector was relatively stable between 2010 and 2019, averaging around 6%. Specifically, in large-scale mining, participation increased slightly from 6.5% in 2018 to 6.87% in 2019.
• Women in the Peruvian mining industry are heavily concentrated in administrative roles, while their presence in operational and managerial positions is significantly lower. Average participation rates are 22% for administrative, 11% for managerial, 5% for operational, and 4% for plant personnel.
• There is a significant gender gap in the educational pipeline for mining-related careers in Peru. Only approximately 30% of students enrolled and graduating from these 'mining careers' are women, regardless of whether the institution is public or private.
• A substantial gross gender pay gap exists in the Peruvian mining sector. In 2019, the gap was 6% (approximately PEN 4,053 or USD 1,100), but it is much higher in specific roles, such as 34% for operators and 22% for managers.
• Female participation varies by mining activity stage, with the highest average participation in exploration (10%) and the lowest in exploitation (6%). There was a growing trend in the closure stage, reaching 11% in 2021, likely due to the prevalence of women in environmental engineering.
• Contractor companies show the lowest female labor participation in large-scale mining, averaging around 4%, which is attributed to the fact that these companies primarily perform operational and construction work.
• Sexual harassment is a critical structural issue in the sector. An external evaluation of Rio Tinto's workplace culture found that 30% of all women surveyed reported suffering sexual harassment, with women aged 25-34 and those in copper mines being the most affected.
• The report identifies several systemic barriers to female retention, particularly the difficulty of retaining women after childbirth. This is driven by rotating shifts in mining camps, a 'machista' mentality, and traditional gender roles regarding domestic care.
• Government spending on Research and Development (R&D) for the energy and mining sector is very low, representing only 3% of total government R&D spending between 2016 and 2021, with an average of PEN 9,614,661.
• The report proposes five policy recommendations to increase female participation: providing incentives for women in masculinized careers, improving recruitment processes (e.g., 'blind CVs'), increasing labor flexibility for parents, improving employment data transparency, and better coordination between civil society, academia, and the public/private sectors.

APA

Peltier-Huntley, J., & Vaccaro, G. (2022). MUJERES Y LA MINA DEL FUTURO. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2023-04/women-mine-of-the-future-peru-es.pdf

Chicago

Peltier-Huntley, Jocelyn, and Giannina Vaccaro. MUJERES Y LA MINA DEL FUTURO. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2022. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2023-04/women-mine-of-the-future-peru-es.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Peltier-Huntley |first1=Jocelyn |last2=Vaccaro |first2=Giannina |title=MUJERES Y LA MINA DEL FUTURO |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=August 2022 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2023-04/women-mine-of-the-future-peru-es.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{peltierhuntley2022mujeres, author = {Peltier-Huntley, Jocelyn and Vaccaro, Giannina}, title = {{MUJERES Y LA MINA DEL FUTURO}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2022}, month = aug, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2023-04/women-mine-of-the-future-peru-es.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }