MINING IN FOCUS
Like many women in the industry, Ellie faced a lot
of challenges when she began her career in mining,
specifically with regards to male colleagues. They
undermined her capabilities, especially when it came to
physical work, and were reluctant to train her, as they
assumed that she was weak. Ellie overcame this challenge
by completing physical challenges by herself. She also
began expanding her knowledge of the equipment and
machinery she worked with by reading manuals. She took
it one step further by challenging her male colleagues with
technical-related questions based on what she had read,
which surprised them greatly. Ellie has always enjoyed
proving herself by keeping her technical knowledge up to
date – it equips her with the skills to lead.
emotional intelligence. The mining sector has evolved since
the time when swearing and not caring for others was
the norm. Companies are building organisational cultures
that encourage leaders to talk to the mind and heart of
the employee in order to hold them accountable for their
deliverables. Many male employees lack this skill and are not
comfortable with this culture. Women are able to implement
this kind of culture in the workplace, allowing organisations
to transform. Women work safer than men as they stick
to the rules. Technically, women are excellent at solving
problems and they are patient. Being patient allows you to
We asked Ellie about the advantages of including women
in the mining sector. She says, “Women are strong on
"There are still many factors
that prevent women from
pursuing a career in mining at
an underground level.
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African Mining Publication
African Mining
African Mining October 2019
31