"Women in Mining" Study: Towards Gender Inclusion and Equity
5th version prepared by Vantaz Group, RIM Chile, Spencer Stuart and "Acción Empresas":
Study reveals improvement in the perception of equity by women working in mining, but their level of job satisfaction drops
The report consulted close to 500 professionals (men and women) in the industry regarding their views on the gaps that exist to increase gender equity. The results were presented at an event attended by, among others, Alejandra Wood, director of Codelco and Iván Arriagada, CEO of Antofagasta Minerals.
The mining consulting firm Vantaz Group, the Mining Engineering Network (RIM Chile), Spencer Stuart and "Acción Empresas" presented the results of the fifth edition of the "Women in Mining" study, which aims to gather the vision of workers in the sector on the process and conditions for the development of women in the sector. In this edition of the survey, which measures five dimensions and was sponsored by Compromiso Minero, nearly 500 people participated, from all hierarchical levels and types of companies (mining companies, suppliers, specialized entities, professional associations, among others).
Although the gender gaps remain, there is an improvement in the perception of equity by women compared to previous years in most of the dimensions evaluated (compensation, development opportunities, performance evaluation and options to assume leadership roles). However, there is a drop in the level of job satisfaction among women from 44% in 2021 to 37% this year. According to Daniela Desormeaux, Director of Research, Vantaz Group, the deterioration of this last factor "is something more generalized at a national level and not only specific to mining, because when women are asked if they are considering changing jobs, a significant percentage say yes, but the search is within the mining industry itself". In this regard, José Luis Barroilhet, Partner, Spencer Stuart Mining Area, in addition, there is an additional factor: the lack of leadership that can manage and empower diverse teams. "The richness of diversity lies in the fact that different visions of the world contribute to a common vision. And, therefore, incorporating diversity is much more than bringing in women to show off the number, but rather implies being willing to change in a significant way," he says. While Milka Casanegra, Director of RIM Chile, although there is still a disparity in the perceptions of men and women regarding working conditions and the vision of the industry, this is due to the fact that women are hungry to continue to develop and grow in the workplace, without neglecting the balance between their personal and family lives," she adds.
José Luis Barroilhet adds that the main challenge for mining is "to listen and work together with women, because standards have risen and that is very good. We must let go of paradigms and hand over control, rescuing the enormous benefits of diversity, understood as different visions, experiences, ways of understanding the world and ways of living. It has been proven that diverse teams manage companies better in these times, as they enrich the debate and decision making". While Marcela Bravo adds that "mining has made a great effort to open roads and create conditions for the incorporation of women, but it is not exempt, like any other productive sector, from understanding that these roads must always respond to a purpose. Inclusion and diversity policies are no longer enough if companies are not in turn promoting the organizational cultural change that sustains these policies".
Upcoming challenges
During the presentation of the results of the study, held this Friday, Iván Arriagada, CEO Antofagasta Minerals and Alejandra Wood, Director of Codelco, analizaron los principales hallazgos del estudio.
Regarding the drop in the level of job satisfaction among women, Iván Arriagada points to work-life balance as a very important factor that could help improve it in the future. "During the pandemic, one of the things that was most advanced was telecommuting and hybrid work, which offers a very great opportunity for flexibility, which helps a lot. But it's not enough; in our experience, telecommuting requires different codes because schedules start to stretch out. People end up working at home, but in very extended schedules, so there is no reconciliation," he commented.
On the other hand, Alejandra Wood, while "we are improving the participation of women in the mining industry, we have to be concerned about inserting them into this world once they get there," he explains. In the end, how do we give them the space to deploy their talent in an environment that is very competitive and masculinized".
For this reason, she adds that "the biggest challenge is for women to be able to function in this more aggressive environment, to understand the keys, and to understand that these are not personal issues. The complement of diverse teams is key to a better mining industry".
Access the full study results here.
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