Study on women in mining reveals large wage gaps: Ramp-UP study was first of its kind in Canada.

• Author: Larmour, Adelle
• Position: MINING

Not only are women underrepresented in mining, but a recent study shows they are underpaid compared to their male counterparts.

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The Ramp-UP study, the first of its kind in Canada on the status of women in the country's mining and exploration sector, was initiated by Women in Mining (WIM) Canada. It partnered with the Mining Industry Human Resources Council (MiHR), an industry-driven organization for the Canadian minerals and metals industry that works in partnership with employers and other institutions and associations to find solutions for human resource challenges.

The study's purpose was to establish a baseline for measuring improvements to the current status of women in mining and exploration, which is underrepresented at 14.4 per cent, well below the overall labour-force average of 47.4 per cent.

Also driving the study was the concern about impending labour shortages, projected to be 60,000 by 2017.

The Conference Board of Canada administered the research to four groups: female employees, employers, female post-secondary students and their educators.

The results highlighted several barriers to career success, wages being one. Women in mining earn an average of 32 per cent less than their male counterparts. This wage gap is 11 per cent higher than the national norm, according to the study This difference is present at all age groups and in most occupations and roles in mining and exploration.

Melanie Sturk, MiHR's director, attraction, retention, and transition, is pleased the study brought the gap into the eyes of industry. She questioned whether women may not have been in a high-ranking position as long as their male counterparts, resulting in a lower salary. However, the consistency in the wage difference across the board made it significant and unacceptable.

Mining as a career path is not well-known among youth. The study showed that young women don't even consider mining as a viable career, and only 10 per cent of female students were aware of it.

"We cut ourselves off in the beginning," Sturk said. "And once we get in, there are challenges along the way"

Initiatives like "Explore for More" are helping to develop the industry's brand for career awareness, a move to change the perceptions of mining.

One of the more surprising elements that arose from the study was the "disconnect" between the employer and female worker. Barriers in the sector were recognized by two-thirds of women, but only one-third of...