Precious metals miners Anglo American Platinum (Amplats), Sibanye-Stillwater, Harmony Gold and Gold Fields have been included in the 2021 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index (GEI), which is seen as a transparent and independent tool for investors considering environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters in their investment decisions.

Amplats' inclusion is the miner’s second consecutive inclusion in the index, with its first being in the 2020 GEI, while it is the third consecutive inclusion for Harmony.

In total, 380 companies from 44 countries and regions were included in the 2021 index, versus the 325 companies from 42 regions featured in the 2020 GEI.

The GEI measures gender equality using 74 metrics across five pillars, namely female leadership and talent pipeline; equal pay and gender pay parity; inclusive culture; sexual harassment policies; and pro-women brand.

To be included in the index, a company has to score at or above a global threshold established by Bloomberg to reflect a high level of disclosure and overall performance across the five pillars.

Amplats CEO Natascha Viljoen says participating in the GEI allows the mining company to “benchmark against the best companies in the world and identify areas where we can make further improvements”.

“We have been doing significant work to build a workplace where all employees, regardless of gender, race or religious background, can fulfil their potential. However, building a diverse and capable team isn’t enough. It must be accompanied by a culture of trust and understanding, which ensures people are comfortable sharing their views and are open to change.”

Sibanye CEO Neal Froneman, meanwhile, says the company “supports a future where gender inequality ceases to exist, supported by a culture where high performance, opportunities and contribution are valued without any bias”.

Gold Fields executive VP of people and organisational effectiveness Rosh Bardien comments that gender and diversity have become increasingly important to the gold miner.

"While we recognise that work still remains to be done, we are proud of what has been achieved to date.”

Across its global workforce, 20% of Gold Fields employees are women, with 21% of management positions held by females. Over half of female employees at Gold Fields occupy core mining roles.