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Women in Mining:
U
O RT jobs. Being a mom, wife and
PP career woman does make it
O
slightly difficult, as you are
competing with people who do
THE NEXT CHAPTER
not have these issues.”
Cleaver believes this factor
may make the sector less
appealing to women, particularly
with the fly-in, fly-out atmosphere
the job entails.
SELF-IMPOSED BARRIERS
De Beers has made a public
commitment to improve and
Percentage of
accelerate the progression
of women throughout its
CASE STUDY:
women in Boteti pipeline by doubling the rate Michelle Peters, De Beers
Mining/Lucara of women appointed to senior superintendent of Asset and
leadership roles, in an effort Environment at Snap Lake
to achieve parity by 2020.
Mine in Canada
“There is no reason why the career
path available to a woman in the mining
industry should be any different from How did you get started in the

M
that available to a man,” says Cleaver. industry?
Yet what about when it comes to Working as a research assistant for
The number of ining is a male- that as the sole woman in the boardroom advancement? How likely are women to PAYING IT FORWARD a plant ecologist at South Africa
dominated industry. much of the time, she had to learn to get promoted in equal measure? When it comes to paying it forward, National Parks led to my first
females in this That isn’t news. The fact project confidence and competence, she Lahri is the first female managing many women feel the need to support role as assistant environmental
that many large mining never felt marginalized. Instead, she director at a diamond company in future generations of women looking to coordinator at De Beers’ Kimberley
largely male companies have started says, it was her own view of her abilities Botswana, although she sees this more enter the trade. Working closely with Mines.

industry is growing, initiatives to recruit and promote

women is. But what happens once
she struggled with.
“In the workplace, one of the
as a statistic than a comment on the
industry. She and Peters both believe
female trainees, Peters aims to provide
them with support and to be a positive
What kind of training did you need
in order to get into that field?
but is acceptance women infiltrate the sector, only to find
themselves alone in a testosterone-laden
biggest challenges for me was to be
able to identify and accept my own
the only restrictions to advancement are
those that women place on themselves.
role model.
“I want to show women out there that
Academically, the bachelor of
science (earth science) degree
also rising? environment? Can they flourish, or does
constant discrimination prevent them
leadership style as valid and valuable,
juxtaposed against a canvas of a mostly
Still, there are a few hurdles.
“It is not so much the institutional
a woman can achieve anything she wants
to,” Lahri adds. “I am married, I have
opened many doors, but hands-on
training and experience proved
By Leah Meirovich

21%
from advancing at the pace of traditionally male, patriarchal barriers, but the subtle social and children and I am successful at my job. invaluable.
their male counterparts? model of leading a team, and cultural norms that we all have to be If it can happen to me, it can happen to Do you feel an essential need to
‘way of doing and behaving,’” aware of and navigate,” says Peters. any woman.” ■ prove yourself as a woman in the
PERCEPTION MATTERS she observes. mining industry?
Lucara Diamond Corp. I have always held myself to high
Percentage of A MACHO CULTURE
CEO Eira Thomas grew up standards, but never set out to make
women at De Beers
in the business. That didn’t De Beers CEO Bruce Cleaver, a feminist statement by my choice
Canada

prevent her from facing what
she considered to be gender-
biased comments when an investor
suggested Thomas — a geologist — hire
an engineer as chief operating officer
to back her up. She wondered, she told
Bloomberg, if a male with the same
credentials would have received
the same advice.
Thankfully, other women who work
in the industry report more
48.5%
38,600
meanwhile, offers a male of career, and have not explicitly
perspective.
“While I think, perhaps, many
men would say that women do get the
same levels of respect, I’m not sure all
14.67% Mining giant
felt it essential to prove myself as a
woman in this industry.
Do you believe women in the trade
need to be treated differently?
In a WorkPac Anglo American
women would agree with that,” he says. If we are serious about inclusivity
survey of reported a
“Some parts of the sector might still Out of 560,000 mining jobs in Canada, and diversity, then yes. We have
675 Western median pay gap of
be quite ‘macho’ in their culture, and only 38,600 are filled by women, says to consider making decisions and
Australian 48.5%, and
that’s clearly a challenge that needs the Mining Industry Human Resources effecting changes to policies…to
women, 14.67% revealed that
to be addressed in many industries. In Council (MiHR) — a mere 17%. address the issues.
said gender bias women account
addition, if a woman is the only female was a barrier Do you feel that women in the

1/2 M
for only 14% of
“IT IS NOT SO positive experiences. Naseem
Lahri, managing director of
on a team, or one of a few, she may not
find it as easy to speak up and assert her
to gaining
mining work.
the company’s
industry still face on-the-job
discrimination?

13%
top-earners.
MUCH THE Lucara’s Boteti Mining, says
she has always been judged for
authority.”
Something on which all agree is that
I have not. There is, however, still
work to be done in challenging

INSTITUTIONAL the quality of her work, not by

her gender.
a major hurdle women face is location.
Relocation or the regular travel many
manifestations of unconscious bias.
What is the best piece of advice you

BARRIERS, BUT THE “It wasn’t difficult to

convince the men in the room,
mining jobs necessitate can perhaps
be more trying on women than on men
Status of Women Canada donated would give to a woman interested
in getting into the industry?
nearly half a million Canadian dollars
SUBTLE SOCIAL as long as I knew what I was
saying and it was technically
when it comes to family life.
Among the limitations for female
($388,000) to start a project entitled
There is a huge variety of careers
in mining. Pursue your interest,

AND CULTURAL correct,” she says.

Michelle Peters, a De Beers
professionals is family responsibility,
says Peters. Lahri, in fact, cites this as In 2017, women accounted for 13% of the Addressing Systemic Barriers for
research your dream job, and take
action to be ready to seek and seize
mine superintendent, shares her biggest challenge. “I had to go to my total mining force in South Africa opportunity along the way.
NORMS” this sentiment. While she says family at home,” she says. “So I had two (Mining Weekly) Gender Equity in Mining.
40 JUNE 2018 DIAMONDS.NET DIAMONDS.NET JUNE 2018 41