Mujeres y la Mina del Futuro

The report analyzes the participation of women in large-scale mining across 12 countries, finding that while female employment is gradually increasing, the sector remains heavily masculinized with persistent structural barriers. Women are often concentrated in administrative roles and face significant gender pay gaps, inadequate facilities, and a 'leaky pipeline' where they leave the industry earlier than men. The document explores how megatrends—specifically disruptive technologies and the energy transition—will reshape mining jobs, potentially displacing low-to-medium skilled roles (often held by women) while creating new opportunities in STEM and environmental management. It concludes with policy recommendations for governments and companies to improve data collection, eliminate sexist biases, and implement gender-responsive training and parental leave policies.

• Large-scale mining is overwhelmingly dominated by men; global estimates suggest approximately 85% of the 21.4 million people working in the sector are men.
• Female participation in large-scale mining is generally low, ranging from 9% in Peru to 25% in Sweden, though there is a slow upward trend in most studied countries.
• Women in mining often possess higher formal education levels than their male counterparts, yet they are underrepresented in technical and trade certifications essential for core mining operations.
• There is a global 'talent leak' where women leave the mining sector at an earlier age than men, with a notable decline in representation starting in the 35-44 age group.
• A significant gender pay gap persists; for example, in Australia, women earn 83% of men's salaries in large-scale mining, and in Ghana, women were paid 27.5% less than men for identical work in 2013.
• Women are disproportionately concentrated in administrative support roles and are severely underrepresented in technical, professional, and managerial positions.
• Workplace infrastructure is frequently designed for men, with many companies lacking appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) and separate sanitary facilities for women.
• Sexist biases, sexual harassment, and gender-based violence are prevalent and act as barriers to entry and retention, with some reports indicating that 27% of women in certain Canadian operations experienced sexual harassment.
• Disruptive technologies, such as automation and AI, pose a high risk of displacing workers in low-to-medium skill categories, which are often those occupied by women, such as administrative support and machine operation.
• The energy transition is increasing demand for 'essential' minerals (e.g., copper, lithium, cobalt), which may create opportunities for women in exploration and environmental engineering.
• There is a critical lack of granular, gender-disaggregated data in many countries, which hinders the development of evidence-based policies for gender equality in mining.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (2023). Mujeres y la Mina del Futuro. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2023-09/women-mine-of-the-future-global-report-es.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. Mujeres y la Mina del Futuro. 2023. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2023-09/women-mine-of-the-future-global-report-es.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=Mujeres y la Mina del Futuro |date=April 2023 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2023-09/women-mine-of-the-future-global-report-es.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopment2023mujeres, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{Mujeres y la Mina del Futuro}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2023}, month = apr, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2023-09/women-mine-of-the-future-global-report-es.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }