Published in the May 2007 Australia’s Mining Monthly

Women will not be the only winners from efforts to increase female participation in the mining industry. Both industry commentators and mining women agree that changes in attitudes and operational practices can have positive flow-on effects for both industry and for the men and women who work within it.

According to the Queensland Resources Council, women made up 12% of QRC members’ combined workforce and 6% in non-traditional roles, while the most recent national figures from the ABS 2001 census reported women as making up 18% of the total minerals workforce. Closer inspection of the ABS data showed female staff dominated clerical and administrative roles and only 3% of minesite and processing operation staff were women, mostly in administration, catering or non-technical roles.

This lack of up-to-date national data on the rate of female participation could arguably be interpreted as an indication of industry’s level of concern over the issue, however there is a growing recognition, albeit a slow one, of the benefits of women to industry.

WA Chamber of Minerals and Energy director Reg Howard-Smith said: “I think women can have a significant positive input and that they bring a new dimension to the workplace.”

As well as providing employers with a wider talent pool, assisting in the skills shortage and reducing pressure on infrastructure (for example in housing), those in the industry agreed there were more compelling and longer lasting reasons for mines to want to take on women. In recruiting women, miners stand to benefit by gaining a greater skill set, a broader range of thinking and achieving the positive effects offered by workplace diversity.

Thiess executive mining manager Simone Wetzlar felt women’s more relational-oriented skills could assist in the decision-making process and have a positive impact on mines operations by providing a more balanced point of view.

In addition, Wetzlar’s wide-ranging minesite experience confirmed the traditional thinking of women as better carers of mining equipment.

Howard-Smith supported the push for greater gender diversity in the mining industry and said because it fostered better understanding and openness in the workplace, there were clear implications for productivity. He also said a work environment that better reflected the general community could serve to create a stronger connection between industry and the community.

Geologist Alison Keogh offered this formula for companies seeking to harness the potential of women workers: “Build a company culture that all employees will want to stay with, and you will keep more women.”

Keogh said companies should work towards creating a workplace culture that accepted and promoted diversity in the workforce and was free from harassment and bullying. She felt both men and women stood to gain from a strong management culture that led by example and encouraged respect.

Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy senior policy and research coordinator Monika Sarder supported the important role management played.

She said mine management made a significant difference to workplace culture and to the experiences of female mine workers, with some mines more open to dialogue and change than others. Sarder said mines should try to create a culture of understanding and openness where all staff – female and male – felt they could talk about issues affecting them at work.

The move toward greater female participation was leading to cultural and operational changes within the industry which, Sarder said, had flow-on benefits not just to women.

“The skills shortage has created an opportunity for both men and women to perhaps be able to demand more flexible work practices,” she said.

Echoing the thoughts of others, executive director and founding director of Snowden Group, Vivienne Snowden said in addition to mining’s masculine image, pressures of home and family were the key factors keeping women from the industry.

“Employers need to respond to the requirement for flexible working hours and locations,” she said.

Suggestions from various industry participants included offering part-time hours, complementary rosters for co-worker couples, paid maternity leave and support for and access to affordable child care (whether through company-provided facilities or through corporate support of government child care tax schemes).

Keogh suggested the implementation of set female employment target levels and for management to embed retention targets into key performance indicators. Such moves could make a positive difference to a company culture and help break the perception of women feeling isolated and different, she said.

Wetzlar said Thiess was keen to boost the rate of women in mining and said the company wanted to take advantage of the current industry environment to attract women workers, while at the same time recognising women’s greater need for flexibility in the workforce.

“I think that we as an industry really need to think outside the square,” she said.

Doing just that is Xstrata’s Ernest Henry copper mine in northern Queensland, which has reported success with its so-called “mummy shift”. The family-friendly 9am-3pm shifts are one example of roster changes that have enabled (the mostly female) part-time truck drivers to work on the mine and still be able to meet their family commitments.

It is not just the female workers and their families who have benefited from the changes. The six-hour shifts have shown operational benefits on the mine by reducing vehicle down time during breaks on longer shifts.

Since beginning production in 2003, a recruitment drive to attract women has been part of the operational strategy at the Rio Tinto’s Hail Creek mine, which was recently recognised by the Queensland Resources Council for its efforts to promote female participation in the industry, particularly in non-traditional roles.

A Rio Tinto spokeswoman said the mine’s focus on female employment had been a key factor in building the successful culture at Hail Creek Mine, which is 15% female. The company said flexible work arrangements and assisting with dual career couples were ways the mine was encouraging women to enter and remain in the industry.

Most mining women applauded such operational changes and agreed the developments would benefit both the workers and the industry as a whole.

Australian Mine Services general manager Julie Smith-Massara said the current boom presented challenges and opportunities that both women and employers could benefit from. She also said offering attractive salary packages were not the only way for companies to attract and keep staff.

“In this challenging marketplace, the key for companies is to offer various work opportunities for your staff, be it flexibility in your rosters or opportunity for promotion,” she said.

Fostering career development was consistently identified as a key issue assisting in the attractiveness of the industry to women. Other suggestions to industry included promoting mentoring programs and supporting networking groups as ways that companies could help create a more attractive and respectful work environment.

According to Wetzlar, many of the barriers to women entering the industry were artificial and she encouraged women to reconsider the traditional image of mining.

When it came to advice for women working in the industry, she said: “Don’t try and be a bloke. Women are different to men and we bring something that is different from men that we should be proud of.”

Wetzlar said acknowledging and celebrating their uniqueness was the best way to go about earning respect and ensuring greater acceptance of women in the industry.

As well as tackling the key cultural and structural issues affecting women’s participation in the industry, industry commentators and women working in the sector agreed it was important for industry to communicate the exciting and challenging possibilities mining offered to women.

“The more we get the message out there that women have a choice of diverse, interesting and challenging careers in this sector, the more women the sector will attract, and the more they will be supported by existing workers,” Keogh said.