WOMEN AND THE MINE OF THE FUTURE

The report examines the status of women in Chile's large-scale mining sector, noting that while female participation grew from 6.16% in 2010 to 10.06% in 2021, the industry remains highly masculinized. It identifies significant gender pay gaps, particularly in cleaning and restaurant services (49.7%) and miner roles (17.9%). The analysis reveals that women are more concentrated in administrative, support, and high-education roles (such as geology) but are severely under-represented in core value chain operations like mechanical and electrical maintenance. Barriers to inclusion include persistent gender stereotypes, lack of suitable infrastructure (e.g., childcare and housing), and sexual harassment. The document also highlights a gap between the number of women graduating from mining-relevant STEM programs and those actually employed in the sector, estimating that only 25% of female professionals and technicians who graduated between 2010 and 2020 were working in mining as of 2021.

• Female participation in Chile's mining workforce showed a positive trend over a decade, increasing from 6.16% in 2010 to 10.06% in 2021, with the number of women employed reaching 27,715 by 2021.
• There is a significant disparity in women's participation based on mine size and location; larger mine sites and provinces with more than 20,000 employees have higher female participation rates, while small provinces are lagging.
• Women are under-represented in the core mining value chain, particularly in maintenance and operations, where they account for only 2.8% and 7.9% of workers respectively.
• Substantial gender pay gaps exist across the industry, with the most extreme gap found in Cleaning and Restaurant Services (49.7%), followed by the miner category (17.9%) and professional positions (5.8%).
• Despite high graduation rates in relevant fields, there is a major gap in the transition to employment; only 25% of female professionals and technicians who graduated between 2010 and 2020 were working in the mining industry as of 2021.
• Women in the sector face severe cultural and organizational barriers, including sexual harassment and discrimination. One study found 69% of women reported discriminatory practices, and 32% experienced double entendres, whistling, and catcalling.
• The COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affected women's labor participation in Chile due to a 'caretaking crisis' and the closure of schools and nurseries, which increased domestic burdens on women.
• The Chilean government has implemented several policy frameworks to increase inclusion, including the 2017 Guidelines of the Mining Industry for the Incorporation of Women and the NCH 3262-2021 Standard on gender equality management.

APA

Neculhual, C. R., Franco, D. P., & Hayes, C. R. (2022). WOMEN AND THE MINE OF THE FUTURE. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2023-11/women-mine-of-the-future-chile.pdf

Chicago

Neculhual, Carla Rojas, Daniel Piquer Franco, and Carolina Rojas Hayes. WOMEN AND THE MINE OF THE FUTURE. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2022. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2023-11/women-mine-of-the-future-chile.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Neculhual |first1=Carla Rojas |last2=Franco |first2=Daniel Piquer |last3=Hayes |first3=Carolina Rojas |title=WOMEN AND THE MINE OF THE FUTURE |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=March 2022 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2023-11/women-mine-of-the-future-chile.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{neculhual2022women, author = {Neculhual, Carla Rojas and Franco, Daniel Piquer and Hayes, Carolina Rojas}, title = {{WOMEN AND THE MINE OF THE FUTURE}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2022}, month = mar, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2023-11/women-mine-of-the-future-chile.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }