Women Can Have Mining JobsBy Sarah Esther Bonos

In the past, the society has placed the woman as the weaker and more inadequate of the sexes. Women were only then expected to perform functions that revolve around the facet of providing care for the family and raising children, while men were viewed as the stronger and more competent to execute tasks such as pursuing a career.

Nevertheless, since the birth of feminism, women have strived and succeeded to attain possession of political, economic, and social rights equal to those of men. However, in the aspect of career selection, areas are still existent wherein women are rarely encouraged to practice a vocation because of the existence of male dominance.

No matter how it is already accessible to women, statistics show that women seemingly do not take interest in practicing a career in the mining industry. One theory that supports this fact is the false belief that women pursuing mining jobs may lead to them having physical failings such as the inability to bear children. In addition, the fact that only a minute number of their population in the mining industry may also appear discomforting to some women.

However, contrary to what some may probably reckon, a mining job does not necessarily mean having to work under extreme conditions in the mining pits. Several mining job positions are offered to women such as positions in the administrative department as well as in other areas of their interest. Nonetheless, mining job positions for women are not limited to administrative roles. Jobs that demand physical work such as dump truck driving may also be designated to women. More importantly, women are already given the opportunity to partake, as much as men, in decision-making processes in the workplace.

In the end, it is the women’s attitude towards work that plays a huge role on how their career in their chosen field will turn out. May it be in a male dominant field or not, women must then be able to determine the career that they desire to pursue and must not allow factors such as male dominance to get in the way of their career selection.

Furthermore, mining companies must also then create more opportunities for women in order to attract them to practice a career in the mining industry. After all, based on scientific researches, a good mix of men and women in any work field can lead to better productivity of a company.

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