Gender Inequality In Mining Industry Essay

1. INTRODUCTION
Mining is the extraction of minerals for human welfare. It creates opportunities that are accompanied by challenges. This industry comprises of hard labour, strenuous activities such as the usage of heavy machinery under bad working conditions. Heat intensively increases with the depth of the mine. The environment is noise orientated and miners have to constantly monitor any signs of potential hazard. The mining industry is highly risky due to the high rate of fatal accidents encountered.

Due to societal views, norms and traditions women were confined to household duties and restricted to engage in hard labour. This led to sexual division in mines, further stipulated by the 1911 Mines and Works Act which barred women from

According to society, most women are physically challenged making them unfit for the industry involving heavy machinery usage. Medical examinations and Heat Tolerance Screening are essential for acquiring a position within the field of mining. Most women tend to fail these tests due to high body fat, menstrual cycles and pregnancy. This clearly shows that few women are capable of maintaining the job of an underground mineworker. As a result, the mining industry has been dominated by males. In this case gender inequality within this field of work cannot be subjected to discrimination or oppression as selection is based on the applicant’s skills and qualifications as oppose to gender.
The mining industry contributes widely to the country’s economy, as a result production has been maximised for the country’s benefit. Despite legislative support and feminism being put into place profit was not to be compromised for gender equality. Therefore relevant workers have been employed for both skilled and unskilled positions, resulting in more men than women in the mining industry.

2.2 Societal impact and