International Women’s Day (IWD) is an annual opportunity to celebrate women’s achievements, raise awareness about discrimination and take action to drive gender parity.
The first IWD was held in 1911 and has since transformed into a global day to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.
This year’s IWD takes place on today on March 8 and is focused on the theme ‘Embrace Equity’; being fair and impartial, regardless of someone’s gender. Miners and equipment suppliers across the country have embraced IWD and the opportunity to do more to foster inclusion and diversity.
Once a year for the last five years, AusIMM has held an International Women’s Day event series to champion diversity and inclusion in the resources sector – and 2023 is no exception.
To be held from March 3–10 across Australian capital cities, the series is a way to bring teams together to celebrate success, network and share in industry celebration.
The series’ diversity and inclusion ambassador Kim Solomons is the face of the campaign.
“Being asked to be an ambassador with AusIMM and Newmont is an incredible privilege,” Solomons said.
“This opportunity allows us to celebrate the partnership that AusIMM and Newmont share, and to promote the amazing work being done in both organisations.
“I was taught early on that there is no such thing as can’t. No matter your gender or your element of diversity, my parents were always of the mindset that we can all have a place in the world, and if you work hard then you can progress.
“So, given that, and in the context of the working world, I get pretty excited by helping businesses create that open and inclusive space where people feel comfortable and included.”
The IWD event series features a line-up of speakers and diversity workshops centred around empowering and celebrating women in the mining sector.
A 2023 IWD partner, John Deere remains committed to forging meaningful change across its operations.
“Women are critical to John Deere’s success,” chief executive officer John May said in a statement.
“They lead our factories and teams, design new solutions, manufacture our machines, manage dealerships, and serve on our board of directors.
“At every point in our great organisation, all these women are visionaries, innovators, entrepreneurs, mentors, and advocates who drive new ways of thinking and doing.”
With over 75,000 employees worldwide, John Deere aims to ensure it is doing more to create opportunities and improve the lives of women within its spheres, including becoming a partner of IWD 2023.
“While it’s vital to recognise the achievements of women, these celebrations cannot serve as proof that we’ve reached our goal,” May said.
“Instead, they should serve as an inspiring reminder of how much further we must go to reach gender equality and how much more we will accomplish when we do.”
Inclusion and diversity are foundational principles at Honeywell.
The company, a 2023 supporter of IWD, actively recruits, develops and retains talent from diverse backgrounds and cultures.
“From recruitment to employee experience and partnership, Honeywell fully embraces diversity and inclusion,” chief inclusion and diversity officer Sandra Barbosa said.
“Our culture of belonging empowers us to show up as our whole selves, allowing respect to flourish and innovation to thrive.
“This is how we deliver the best outcomes for our customers and make our communities stronger.”
Honeywell chief executive officer Darius Adamczyk described inclusion and diversity as bedrock principles for the company.
“We intentionally invest in and shape strong female leaders by providing programs that help women develop skills and gain experience that advance their careers,” he said.
Honeywell is proud of its Women’s Career Advancement Program, which cultivates the leadership skills necessary for its employees to assume senior roles throughout the company.
“We direct a great deal of our philanthropic passion and resources toward expanding access to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, particularly for girls,” Adamczyk said.
“We empower young women through our strategic partnerships with the Society of Women Engineers, Junior Achievement, the Avasara Academy (a secondary school in Pune, India), and many other life- changing non-profit organisations.
“We also strive to recognise and neutralise biases with company-wide learning curricula, including unconscious bias training.”
A global water technology company, Xylem understands that threats such as climate change, urbanisation and the need for clean water to stop the spread of disease often disproportionately impact women and girls.
“One key way we are solving water through innovation is by building a diverse and inclusive organisation that fosters a vibrant exchange of ideas,” Xylem president and chief executive officer Patrick Decker said.
“We work across the water sector and beyond to foster business practices that empower women, including signing the United Nations Women’s Empowerment Principles.
“Our corporate social responsibility program, Xylem Watermark, focuses on providing humanitarian clean water access, disaster response and WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) education to communities facing the most dire water challenges.”
Each year, Gina Rinehart’s Roy Hill broadcasts its inaugural viewing of its Women in Mining video. The video shares the real stories of women across the miner’s operations and acknowledges their outstanding contributions.
“Women at Roy Hill work at the only mine in the world where technology and operational responsibility join with breast cancer support,” Rinehart said in her Women in Mining premiere speech on January 24.
“Our world-first pink trucks, locomotives, WHIMS (women’s health and integrated maternity services) plant and other pink mining equipment raise funds and support to breast cancer sufferers.”
Roy Hill currently has a higher-than-industry-standard female representation in mining of 25 per cent.
“Metallurgists, engineers, mechanics, diesel operators, process plant operators, geos, train drivers, rail maintenance, drill-and-blast crews, and many other roles,” Rinehart said. “We provide development opportunities for women across our operations,.
“At Roy Hill, Atlas and Hancock, we are all about building an exceptional future together and building the best mining company in the world.”
BHP is committed to promoting equity across its mining operations.
Chile’s Carolina García, one of the company’s specialist technical trainers who experienced an accident in 2005 that resulted in tetraplegia, was recognised as one of the most inspiring women in mining in 2021.
She leads the diversity and inclusion project in Pampa Norte, Chile, which aims to increase the number of people with disability in the company, stressing the importance of infrastructure and how to adapt processes to be more inclusive.
“I feel very excited to have returned to the mining industry – something I would have never imagined having done, due to my disability,” García said.
“I feel included in my teams, and I believe we are making big changes, as well as facing big challenges ahead. This project excites and entertains me.
“Today at BHP, we are more than 125 people with disabilities. There are 26 people with disabilities at Spence (a copper concentrator plant in Chile) and 14 at Cerro Colorado (a copper mine in Chile) and they are invisible disabilities. So my focus is on how we activate empathy.”
Alejandra Ramírez, an apprentice with BHP’s Autonomous Drilling Project, said working in a mine was one of her proudest achievements.
“It has made me feel important to be a woman in an area that was only for men,” she said.
“I am seen as an example in my family. I have nieces who have come on the field and have fallen in love with mining.
“It has been a great experience and allowed me to experience personal growth. I feel highly valued as a woman working with BHP.”
In celebration of IWD, Rio Tinto had eight women from across the company’s operations took over its Instagram page and shared their stories.
Geologist, Bakoly; communications and corporate relations manager, Zanele; environmental superintendent, Uuganbayar; fitter and turner, Belinda; chief financial officer aluminium Canada, Gillian; fixed plant manager, Mhairi; senior manager communications, Sugar; and senior transformation adviser, Erika all gave their views on what makes Rio Tinto an inclusive place to work.
“Every woman working in a mining company is the strength of that company,” Bakoly said.
“As a geologist, I always dreamed about working in a big mining company and I’m proud to be part of the Rio family.”
Belinda, a fitter and turner at Rio’s Boyne Smelters in Gladstone, Queensland, has taken it upon herself to start a lunch group with the other women in her team.
“When I first joined BSL (Boyne Smelters Limited) there weren’t a lot of ladies here,” she said. “So I started an informal lunch group so we could get together with all the other lady tradies here on site – we call it an ‘aunty lunch’.
“It gives us an opportunity to confide in each other if we have any issues, or just to have a good old laugh.”
For Mhairi, who works in Western Australia as a fixed plant manager, building a supportive network is key.
“I’ve had a fantastic career working in mining and I invite any woman considering going into the industry to reach out to your broader network to see if there is anyone who might be able to share their experience,” she said.
“And be yourself – you might think as a female working in the mining industry that you might have to behave in a certain way, act like one of the boys. But that’s just not the case.
You’ll find that you’re respected for who you are.
“We need to continue to encourage inclusive behaviours to create a more inclusive environment around us.”
Separate to IWD, the International Day of Women in Mining (IDWIM) is held annually and provides another chance to celebrate women in the mining and resources sectors.
A not-for-profit organisation, IDWIM pursues gender equality and promotes women’s voices, access to opportunities and leadership.
With major partners in Weir Minerals, Sandvik, the Minerals Council of Australia (MCA), Rio Tinto, BHP and Newmont, many are committed to celebrating the achievements of women, while creating a more inclusive workplace.
“More women have chosen to make their careers in Australian mining,” MCA chief executive officer Tania Constable said. “In 2016, BHP set its goal to achieve gender balance by 2025. Today, women make up the majority of … its executive leadership team. At Rio Tinto, 58 per cent of its 2021 graduate intake were women.
“Over the last 15 years, there has been a fivefold increase in the number of female managers in the mining industry and it is expected many more will follow in the years to come.”
This feature appeared in the March 2023 issue of Australian Mining.