Gender bias frequently equity is a key factor in poverty reduction and sustainable developmentIn many communities involved in the Extractive Industries (EI), gender bias exists in the distribution of risks and benefits: the risks, such as environmental damage and social harm, fall more heavily on women, while the benefits, such as employment and compensation, accrue mostly to men.

This gendered distribution of costs and benefits often goes unnoticed by donors, governments and extractive industries companies, but failure to recognize how men and women differently experience and impacted by EI could undermine potential positive impacts of EI, amplify risks for the communities involved, and threaten the profitability and sustainability of EI project. On the contrary, considering the gender dimensions of EI could singificantly increase the development effectiveness and sustainability of extractive industries projects.
 

The World Bank's Role: Support and Empowerment

The Gender and Extractive Industries team, based in the Oil, Gas, Mining and Chemicals Unit at the World Bank, works to inform governments, mining companies, and other stakeholders about unique impacts of EI on men and women, and how to improve development and business outcomes by best understanding these impacts.  

 

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 learn more about these workshops.
• 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.
• A forthcoming publication of guidelines for how to integrate gender issues into Extractive Industry projects worldwide
• A forthcoming publication on the gender aspects of the Extractive Industry   

Extractive Industries Week
March 3-5, 2009
Washington, DC
The Extractive Industries week providesd an opportunity for Bank staff and EI partners and counterparts to gather in Washington to discuss current issues and events in EI. Three presenters, from Peru, Papua New Guinea, and Mongolia discussed examples and lessons learned on gender mainstreaming in the extractive industries. Click here to see the full program.

Mining, Gender and Sustainable Livelihoods Conference
November 6-7, 2008
Canberra, Australia

This conference brought together experts from around the world to discuss evidence for and against the importance of incorporating gender-sensitive approaches in EI projects, to achieve sustainable development. Click here to learn more.

Feature Publication
Gender pay equity and associated issues for women in mining - Survey Report
AusIMM and WIMnet, 2009
This paper presents the Gender Equity and Associated Issues for Women in Mining Survey, a qualitative and quantitative survey carried out under the auspices of WIMNet aimed at examining the drivers of the gender pay gap and the static low participation of women in the professional mining work force in Australia, and proposing solutions to overcome the underlying issues. Click here to read the full report.