Despite efforts to increase the participation of women in the mining industry, mining companies operating in South Africa face the continuous challenge of high turnover of women mineworkers and are dogged by hostile work relations between male and female employees, says transformation and organisational development consultancy Laetoli.

Laetoli head of project execution Andre de Villiers tells Mining Weekly that this has negative implications for productivity and profits and leads to noncompliance with the Mining Charter.

“Mining stakeholders, specifically mineworkers and mine management, do not pay sufficient attention to ensuring that the social integration of women takes place and cultivating the organisational  cultures necessary to enable the integration of women into the mining society and system,” he explains, adding that there are, however, a number of companies that are making progress.

“Companies and employees must undergo mindset shifts towards seeing  integration and retention of women as an investment, rather than an expense.  This is a key condition for the successful inclusion of women in mining,” he explains.

Laetoli consultant Memorie Herholdt states that achieving success is not only about the number of women employed, but also requires miners to actively accommodate women mineworkers and remove barriers to the inclusion of women in mining, as required by the Employment Equity Act.

“This includes ensuring that the environment, culture and facilities are conducive to these employees, and that barriers, such as sexual harassment, sexism, social exclusion and intimidation are identified and eradicated.  It also requires miners to ensure that women have appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) and facilities such as separate toilets and change rooms.

“Compliance in these respects will confirm whether companies are truly integrating women, as opposed to simply playing a numbers game. Importantly, not all of these changes need to be costly, such as amending the PPE of female mineworkers,” she adds.

Further, Laetoli consultant Dina Hendler tells Mining Weekly that gender awareness training assists with dispelling the negative gender stereotypes and perceptions that serve to undermine women in mining, such as those concerning lower productivity of female mineworkers and women posing a safety risk, owing to their lesser physical strength.

She explains that, by challenging misconceptions and sharing accurate information about the actual targets required by the Department of Mineral Resources, training assists with laying to rest fears male mineworkers have that women will take their jobs, a perception which fuels strong resistance to the inclusion of females in the mines, she says.

Hendler adds that the way in which operations have been structured in the historically male-dominated mining industry in terms of workflow and the type of tooling that is used, was not developed with women in mind. However, with the necessary reasonable accommodation referred to in the Employment Equity Act, women are able to perform and contribute in the mining environment,
she explains.

About Laetoli
Laetoli has consulted on several mining projects, where it has helped companies design and implement innovative consulting, facilitation and training solutions to meet African and South African transformation challenges.

One of Laetoli’s offerings is Women in Mining training, which aims to address the entrenched attitudes and misinformation that underpin resistance and opposition to women mineworkers, resulting in productivity-harming conflict and discrimination. Rather than a competitive, hostile mindset, it introduces the possibility for a harmonious environment where men and women work together effectively and cooperatively to enhance production, Hendler explains.

“We have also reviewed the academic research into women in mining and have found that there are several studies – especially focusing on the platinum sector – that detail what female mineworkers are experiencing underground, not only from a occupational health and safety perspective but also with an emphasis on challenges experienced on a social and cultural level,” Hendler concludes.