MINING IN FOCUS
On her thoughts about why women should become more
involved in mining, she says, “It’s traditionally been male
territory. However, traditions and times have changed.
Gone are the days when there were male-only roles (such as
doctors) and female-only roles (such as nurses). Now, with
very few exceptions, the playing field is levelled. I think that
women bring a different approach to thinking and problem-
solving, which pairs well with existing ‘masculine’ roles.”
Breaking down barriers
Although women have come a long way in the industry,
they still have a long way to go before they are equally
represented. August marks 63 years since women fought for
the rights of the people in South Africa. It’s time we fought
for them to segment their position in mining.
As a woman, you’re not alone if you seek a career in
mining. There are many support structures and women’s
organisations like WIM and WIMSA who are active advocates
for women in mining. They support, encourage and honour
women in the mining industry, and provide great networking
opportunities.
Louise strongly believes that mining is a good career
choice for women. “Considering that South Africa is
estimated to have the world’s fifth largest mining sector
in terms of GDP value, it should be in the crosshairs of
all South African career prospectors, men or women!
There are huge possibilities for growth, and international
networking, and women may just bring in some solutions
to problems that have plagued the sector with solutions
not yet considered,” she says. Louise feels that the mining
industry is equipped to employ women from a support
services position. There are so many industries that support
the mining industry, which means that there is a wide
variety of employment opportunities.
“I think if the mining sector were to engage more with
smaller businesses, then even more women would be
positively impacted. For example, our company, Halo Media
is a small business, with an 80% female staff contingent and
is 100% female owned. When mines and support industries
choose to work with us, they are positively impacting the
roles of women (and their families),” says Louise.
Women have come a long way in breaking
down legal and social barriers to cement
their place in the mining sector.
References:
1. https://www.mineralscouncil.org.za/industry-news/publications/
facts-and-figures
2. https://www.polity.org.za/article/women-in-mining-legislation-
and-representation-for-women-in-mining-2011-08-25
3. http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_
arttext&pid=S2225-62532015000800004
4. https://www.csmonitor.com/1988/0711/acoal.html
5. https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-39705424
6. https://www.miningindaba.com/ehome/283869/womeninmining/
7. https://www.replicon.com/blog/17-reasons-women-make-great-
leaders/
8. https://blog.viddler.com/emotional-intelligence-professional-
communications/
9. https://www.fin24.com/Finweek/Featured/how-to-bring-more-
women-into-mining-20181127
10. https://www.mining.com/lets-talk-about-women-in-the-mining-
industry-31775/
11. https://www.womeninmining.org.uk/top-100-global-inspirational-
women-in-mining-2018-edition/
12. https://www.miningreview.com/southern-africa/top-honours-
south-african-women-mining/
www. africanmining.co.za
African Mining Publication
African Mining
African Mining October 2019
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