Gendered Impacts of COVID-19 on Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM)

The document examines the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on women in the artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector, highlighting increased job losses, food insecurity, and health vulnerabilities. Through case studies in Zimbabwe, Peru, and the Philippines, it demonstrates how pandemic-related restrictions and market disruptions reinforced gender pay gaps and marginalization. The brief argues for the adoption of rapid gender assessments, gender-disaggregated data analysis, and gender-responsive budgeting to ensure inclusive recovery and structural reform in the ASM sector.

• COVID-19 reinforced and exacerbated pre-pandemic gender inequalities in the ASM sector, where women—who make up an estimated 50% of the global workforce—already faced barriers such as lower pay, exclusion from high-paying roles like digging, and a double burden of unpaid household work.
• Women in ASM were disproportionately affected by job losses during the pandemic because their roles—such as washing ore, transporting materials, and providing services—were often viewed as "peripheral" and deemed unnecessary during site access restrictions. Additionally, school closures increased childcare burdens, preventing many women from traveling to mine sites.
• The pandemic increased food insecurity for women in ASM communities. Research across 22 countries showed that female respondents reported their households skipping meals more consistently than male respondents, a situation worsened by food price inflation and the responsibility women often hold for household expenditure.
• In Zimbabwe, the pandemic led to indirect health crises for women in ASM; reduced income and movement restrictions limited access to essential medicines and health items—such as birth control and antiretroviral drugs—which were often only available in USD or through suspended door-to-door services.
• In Peru, pallaqueras (women who collect residual gold ore) faced extreme economic vulnerability; as of June 2020, nearly 80% had not received government aid due to their informal status, despite 75% earning below the federal minimum wage.
• In the Philippines, the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) in Luzon disrupted the gold supply chain, causing miners to sell gold at rates approximately 16% lower than pre-quarantine prices and increasing the unpaid care burden on women.
• The document recommends three key pillars for gender-responsive policy: conducting Rapid Gender Assessments to identify immediate vulnerabilities, utilizing gender-disaggregated data to inform structural reforms, and implementing gender-responsive budgeting to ensure funding for women-specific needs like childcare and SGBV protection.

APA

Lyster, O., Smith-Roberts, A., & Tekinbas, E. (2022). Gendered Impacts of COVID-19 on Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM). International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-01/gendered-impacts-covid-19-asm.pdf

Chicago

Lyster, Olivia, Ashley Smith-Roberts, and Ege Tekinbas. Gendered Impacts of COVID-19 on Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM). International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2022. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-01/gendered-impacts-covid-19-asm.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Lyster |first1=Olivia |last2=Smith-Roberts |first2=Ashley |last3=Tekinbas |first3=Ege |title=Gendered Impacts of COVID-19 on Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM) |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=January 2022 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-01/gendered-impacts-covid-19-asm.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{lyster2022gendered, author = {Lyster, Olivia and Smith-Roberts, Ashley and Tekinbas, Ege}, title = {{Gendered Impacts of COVID-19 on Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM)}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2022}, month = jan, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-01/gendered-impacts-covid-19-asm.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }