While many industries have struggled to reach and sustain gender equality, progress has been particularly slow in mining and other traditionally male-dominated industries. As featured in a recent Harvard Business Review article, researchers from Monash University are available to comment on their research investigating how BHP's South Flank mine (WA) was able to create a workforce where 40 per cent of frontline employees (e.g. mechanics, electricians, operators) are women.
Professor Richard Pringle, Monash Faculty of Education
Contact: +61 3 9903 4840 or media@monash.edu
Read more of Professor Pringle’s commentary on Monash Lens
Dr Erik Denison, Research Fellow, Monash Faculty of Education
Contact: +61 3 9903 4840 or media@monash.edu
Read more of Dr Denison’s commentary on Monash Lens
The below can be attributed to Professor Pringle and Dr Denison:
“While women comprise only 10 per cent of workers at other large mines globally, South Flank, an iron ore mine in Western Australia operated by BHP, has created a workforce where 40 per cent of the 869 frontline employees are women, and four out of six senior managers are women.
“South Flank has crushed myths that women do not want high-paying mining jobs driving trucks, blasting rocks, and fixing heavy machinery. If a remote mine in Western Australia can achieve a 40 per cent female workforce then we believe this can be done by any business, particularly those located in urban areas.
“We identified five key factors that allowed the mine to achieve gender parity and inclusion of women workers:
1) Strong engagement from senior leaders who set strict gender equity targets
2) Strong support from leaders at the head office
3) Major investments in fostering a welcoming and safe mining camp
4) Use of science and data-driven approaches to drive change
5) Recognition that gender equity is hard to achieve and sustain and requires ongoing work.
“We also outlined potential obstacles to sustaining future progress, such as deeply rooted masculine norms that harm the well-being and retention of women workers and the lack of systems to support parents of all genders who hope to return to mining.”
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