Women in Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining: Challenges and opportunities for greater participation

Women represent a large percentage of the workforce engaged in artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM)—up to 40 or 50 per cent in Africa alone. But there’s an invisibility problem.

The contribution of women to the mining sector is often masked by the dominant profile of men’s roles in mining, which hinders women’s meaningful participation. When they are unable to participate in key stages of mining, women are often unaware of key information, which gives men an advantage that allows them to exercise control over financial matters.

This report from the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development highlights the key challenges and opportunities women in ASM face, including access to finance, access to equipment and technology, institutional support and services and more.