Women in the workforce
In 2010, the proportion of women in the workforce increased to 12.2%, compared with 11.5% in 2009. This is the third successive year-on-year increase and is a nearly 30% increase since 2007. In contrast, the proportion of females in management has declined for the second successive year, and now stands at 9.7%, against a peak of 13.4% in 2007. In absolute terms, the total number of women in management increased from 266 in 2009 to 293 in 2010 but since the total number of managers increased from 2,034 to 3,011 in the same time period, the proportion of women in management declined. This is an issue that our commodity businesses are acutely aware of and are actively trying to address. The percentage of female applicants to management positions is approximately equal to the percentage of females appointed to those positions, which indicates a lack of gender bias in the promotion or recruitment process.
Whilst there are some encouraging signs that more women are taking up jobs in the mining sector in certain regions and countries – for example, in Australia the Minerals Council of Australia estimates that more than 3,500 women took up jobs in the Australian mining sector over the last three years bringing the average level of participation in the workforce to 18%, there are still a number of core challenges to be addressed including:
- the perception by many women that jobs in the sector are traditional ‘male’ jobs; something that is exacerbated by the fact that the vast majority of supervisor and manager positions at mine sites are still held by men; and
- the need for greater flexibility in working hours and shift work schedules coupled with the need for improved child care facilities in the local communities where employees live.
Xstrata is represented on the Women in the Mining Network (WIMnet) Committee that is actively working with the leading mining companies to address the core challenges and change work practices and perceptions in ways that will encourage greater participation of women in the mining sector workforce. Our commodity business have already taken a number of steps to improve the recruitment and retention of women in their workforces and continue to review existing work practices and career development processes to identify additional ways to further improve the balance of women in our workforce at both the operational and management levels.
Whilst we do not have formal diversity targets (with the exception of Africa – see below), each commodity business has a member of the Executive Committee who is given the responsibility for diversity in the workplace. A number of regions have implemented programmes to improve the recruitment, retention and promotion of women in mining. In addition, our businesses offer equal rates of pay to male and female employees of equal experience and aptitude.
In South Africa, formal targets have been set by the South African Mining Charter for the participation of women and historically disadvantaged South Africans in mining by 2009. Both of Xstrata’s South African businesses achieved these targets. Xstrata participated in multi-stakeholder workshops to discuss the new South African Mining Charter, implemented in September 2010.
