Improving the Impact of Extractive Industries Projects on Women

The gender distribution of costs and benefits often goes unnoticed by governments and extractive industries companies, but the World Bank’s work with women stakeholders in extractive industries communities has confirmed these impacts exist and are significant.   The development effectiveness and sustainability of extractive industries projects could increase significantly by taking into account how gender bias issues affect the sector and how extractive industries activities can benefit men and women more equally.

The World Bank is working on better identifying the gender impact of the distribution of risks and benefits in order to improve the sustainability and development impact of extractive industries projects. In a series of conferences and workshops supported by the World Bank, women stakeholders from communities have identified gender-disparities in the distribution of benefits and risks. These include:

• Employment: EI can lead to job creation both directly, such as in the oil, gas, or mining operations, or indirectly, through various support or spin-off industries. In the mines themselves, jobs go primarily to men.   Women more often have access to informal, spin-off jobs, which are often less secure, more poorly paid, and more dangeous.
• Resources: EI projects can lead to pollution of land, water, and air. In some projects, compensatory measures give women improved access to clean water, for instance, but in other cases, pollution causes illness, and costs women and girls particularly in the time it takes them to collect water, firewood, food, etc. that may be impacted by pollution.
• Voice and Participation: EI often leads to significant money being spent at the community level. Women are often left out of the community consultation process, and have little say in how the community resources are spent.
• Violence: Rising access to cash from EI jobs and an influx in male workers often leads to increases in alcoholism, drug abuse, prostitution. These factors often lead to a rise in domestic disputes, violence against women, HIV/AIDS, and other STDs. The in migration of workers often leads to a rise in violence and crime.
• Loss of sacred places: As land becomes converted for EI, and the related infrastructure and housing, sacred places, and places of cultural significance are often lost, contributing to strain on culture and traditions.

These are just a few examples of the risks potentially posed by EI. However, EI projects also have the potential to improve lives, through improved access to education, health services, transportation, roads, water supply, electricity, housing, and social community services.

Including women’s perspectives is good for development and good for business

Including women’s perspectives in community consultations, in consideration of investments and programming, and in employment is good for development and good for business:

• Employment of women brings community gains: Where women have access to employment, or are empowered regarding household finances, evidence shows that women are more likely to invest in education, health, and nutrition for their families.   Where women have decreased access to employment, and to cash, families suffer.
• Consultation of women in spending leads to more sustainable investment: Where wome are involved in community consultations to decide priorities for investment of EI resources – outcomes often have more sustainable development impacts.
•  Women can make better employees: Opening job opportunities to women can increase productivity and reduce costs. Women often more reliable follow rules, obey health and safety regulations, and can be more reliable employees. Women make-up half of the productive labor-force and discrimination against women in the labor market is an impediment to private sector development and economic growth.
• Gender responsiveness can improve management efficiency: A proactive gender equity approach can free up management time for core business activities rather than responding to investor concerns or conflict resolution within the community.
• Gender equity can reduce community disruption or protest: Employing women, and incorporating women into consultations can create a more predictable business environment with fewer production disruptions, thus avoiding cost increases and loss of income.
• Women’s economic empowerment can be good for community development: Women have a better track record of starting successful business and repaying micro-credit loans, and show a greater willingness to respect safety and environmental safeguards.

Actions to address gender bias issues in the EI sector include:

Economic Empowerment of Women

• Improved access to employment opportunities and spin-off jobs aimed at women
• Skills training programs in the EI workforce and in the community for women
• Improved access to micro-credits for women’s business/cottage industries
• Distribution of a share of EI benefits by government to support community-based sustainable development programs including women’s projects

Social Empowerment of Women

• Appointment of gender desk in EI companies addressing women’s issues both in the workforce and in the interface with the community
• Increased representation of women among community leaders and committees that deal with all stages of EI project life (exploration to closure)
• Liaising with local government on issues of concern to women
• Establishment of gender desks in Departments of Oil and Mining and at the local government level to address women’s issues especially in the interface of the mine with the community

Health and Education

• Improved access to higher quality health care
• Initiatives to ensure equal education opportunities for boys and girls
• Information campaigns to provide increased awareness on HIV/AIDS and other high risk diseases
• Surveys by Government on women’s access to social and community services
• Government enforcement of mine compliance with environmental regulations

Safety and Security

• Community initiatives to promote women’s safety and reduce domestic violence
• Counseling for both men and women to reduce domestic violence, and counseling for women victims of violence and sexual crimes.

• The World Bank and IFC have worked with numerous governments and EI companies to ensure that gender issues are a priority. Some of these activities include:
• A series of workshops in Papua New Guinea to increase women's organization and voice in the mining sector, and led to the drafting of a Women and Mining Action Plan and a National Plan. Click here to read the 2007-2021 Women in Mining National Action Plan.
• In Poland, the World Bank has supported multi-sectoral training for 24 women leaders from communities impacted by mining.
• With the support of the Communities and Small-Scale Mining (CASM) facility, housed in the World Bank/ IFC, an African Women in Mining Network (AFWIM) was launched during the 2003 CASM meeting.
• Publication of guidelines for how to integrate gender issues into Extractive Industry projects worldwide
• A new publication on the gender aspects of the Extractive Industry