By Tholakele Thabane
In the rugged world of mining, women are often overlooked and underrepresented. Yet they are deeply impacted by the mining industry’s presence in their communities. From the dusty pits to the boardrooms, women in mining face unique challenges and unprecedented amounts of discrimination from men, particularly those in managerial and leadership roles.
It is these unspoken realities and struggles in mining communities and mines that should set all of us alive and strive for women’s rights and to seek justice, which will make a difference and create a more harmonious environment for women.
The movement has a women wing, Women Affected by Mining United in Action (WAMUA), which is a vehicle that drives the empowerment agenda and fights for the inclusion of women in decision-making in their communities and mines. These women are the bedrocks or Izimbokodo of the mining communities.
Entry into mining remains one of the biggest challenges for women as they are deemed “physically unfit” for mining-related jobs. These are not just stereotypes but such statements are deeply problematic as they form the basis in which women are significantly disadvantaged and pushed to the margins.
Unemployment for women in mining communities is at its peak, as they remain excluded and unable to gain experience, which in turn is used to continue their exclusion. Other stereotypes that often contribute to the denial of women to access fair opportunities are condescending statements that women would “fail” at balancing work and family. Women cannot be in leadership positions and shape their
futures if they denied the opportunities to be empowered into leadership positions.
In addition to these challenges that plague women in mining host communities, they suffer from illness caused by the mining companies that fail to take accountability and refuse to provide adequate health care services through the fulfilment of Social Labour Plans.
The post Unearthing the Truth: Women Experiences from the Mining Frontlines first appeared on MACUA.
