Women in Mining - An untapped resource

Gone are the days that the mining game was exclusively for males.

'Big toys for big boys' may have been the mindset for many generations but more and more women are becoming an integral part of the mining industry.

And why not? It's dynamic, it's growing, it offers job opportunties from tree planting to truck driving to managing companies.

But although women make up close to 50 per cent of the population, they only make up around 10 per cent of the Australian mine workforce.

It's an obvious shortfall in labour possibilities - and there are other reasons that make recruiting and retaining women in the mining industry: it's simply because they're female.

Women often have a leadership style very different to men and interact well with team members.

They are also apparently a lot easier on machinery and vehicles, which keeps down maintenance costs and lowers injury rates.

The mining industry is acutely aware it's being disadvantaged by not attracting more women to its ranks.

That's why industry organisations and individual companies have put in place policies to increase workplace participation which include, amongst other aspects, family friendly policies.

There is no job in mining that a woman can't do; from the bush to the boardroom they are in demand as geologists, truck drivers, mine modellers, engineers, environmentalists, human resource managers, public relations experts, plant and equipment operators, laboratory assistants, metallurgists, accountants, shot firers, grade controllers - the opportunities are endless.

We hope you can use this website to find out first hand from women themselves what it's like to work in the mining industry.

You can hear their own stories and find out what companies, governments and other women are doing around Australia to help them enter mining.