Gender in Mining Governance: Opportunities for policy-makers

In many countries, mining laws and regulations neither fully mainstream the principle of gender equality nor acknowledge women as active participants in the sector. This often results in women receiving only a minimal share of the benefits of the mining sector while being disproportionately affected by its environmental, social, economic, and cultural impacts.

Governments need to act proactively to remedy gender inequalities exacerbated by the sector and implement mining policy frameworks that ensure the empowerment of women, girls, and others that are negatively impacted by mining operations.

This publication is part of efforts aimed at optimizing the mining sector’s contributions to poverty reduction, inclusive growth, social development, and environmental stewardship by showcasing key policy options that can help guide governments to take action to promote gender equality in the sector.

Not only can governments undertake a regulatory role to make sure that mining-related policy frameworks support gender equality, they can also be active agents driving change by investing in gender equality in the mining sector. Governments can also use this document to support their commitments to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular SDG 5 – Gender Equality.