‘Women in mining’ goals a very, very long way off, if strip-club promoters are not included
When Latin America’s top mining conference is fine with flyers for ‘gentlemen’s clubs’ being handed out, it’s hard to imagine gender equality being a priority
Santiago — Latin America’s top mining exposition kicked off with a seminar on promoting gender equality. Meanwhile, at the exhibition centre a few kilometres away, women in tight dresses and high heels posed next to mining tool booths and strip-club promoters at the entrance offered two-for-one drink coupons to attendees. The week-long Expomin event in Chile offered a glimpse at both how far the industry has come — and how far it has to go. The last time the event was held, in 2016, Chile’s then mining minister Aurora Williams called for an end to the use of women as a commercial hook and set a 10% target of female participation in the sector for 2018. The industry hasn’t yet met that goal. As a symbol of its commitment, Expomin opened with its Women and Mining panel. About half of the speakers at the session were women, a marked contrast with the overall event. About 85% of speaking slots were awarded to men. "We’re not doing this to look good in a picture," Joaquin Villarino, pres...
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