This study explores the life stories of eight women in the South African mining industry; four older women in senior managerial positions and four younger women who have recently acquired a technical mining-related qualification that should place them on the path to management. A major goal was to understand how the women came to their careers in mining, the field being a non-traditional choice for women. The study also aimed to explore how working in a male-dominated industry affected their current life experiences and future aspirations. Life story interviews were conducted to trace the journeys they took to their present positions. The stories collected were then analysed using qualitative thematic analysis through Atlas.ti, to derive patterns in the accounts collected, as well as any differences that may exist between the two groups of women. The results indicate that each woman’s life story is unique. However, significant patterns were found during the analysis. Both the younger and older women were raised in nuclear family structures, consisting of two parents and one or more siblings. Both groups of women also displayed a high affinity towards academics and performed well throughout their basic education years, while displaying a specific interest in the scientific- and technically-related fields. This was then followed by attendance of a higher education institution, with continued high performance. At this point most of the women entered the mining industry, through a bursary from a mining company requiring them to work back the bursary as an employee of the company. The participants all have a high level of ambition and desire to succeed in their respective professions. The results provided insight on how early life and other influences shaped the women’s career choices. Although the participants were diverse in their method of entry into the mining industry and the motivations or factors that have thus far kept them there, their workplace experiences have been similar, even though their reactions to them varied. They faced challenges related to being respected professionals despite their gender, career delays, sacrificing femininity to conform to a masculine environment, and exposure to overt sexual harassment. These challenges and experiences have been a source of growth for some, mainly in the older cohort, and a signal to exit the industry for others, mainly in the younger cohort. This explains to an extent why the technically qualified women-miner statistics have remained stagnant, since half the women are leaving the industry as fast as they are entering. Overall, the results of the research paint a bleak picture of the leadership and professional pipeline for women in mining. The implications of these findings for research and organisations in South Africa are discussed. / Dissertation MCom--University of Pretoria, 2014. / Human Resource Management / unrestricted

This dissertation may be read on several different levels. At its most accessible, it is a detailed ethnographic description of how ‘women in mining’ negotiate the daily terrain of caregiving and being exposed to highly contagious and resistant diseases that are associated with mining, which could potentially adversely affect their day-to-day lives, wellbeing and family relations. At its most analytical, it utilises Nixon’s concept of ‘slow violence’ by carefully charting the challenges that a female mineworker faces; having to provide for her family even in the most difficult situations, and sometimes at the expense of her own health. Hence, ‘women in mining’ are situated in a web of connections that exist between working underground and being caregivers in their homes; while at risk of transmitting tuberculosis (TB) and acquiring reproductive health related problems. This dissertation illustrates the tactics and coping strategies that women in mining employ, and argues that they ‘make a plan’ to minimise the negative social consequences of ill health.

The Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (28 of 2002) (MPRDA) and the accompanied Broad-based Socio-economic Empowerment Charter aimed to rectify previous inequalities and disadvantages in the mining sector and specifically provide for the inclusion of women in core mining activities. According to the Act and the Charter, the mining industry was supposed to reach a quota of 10% women in core mining activities by 2009. The amendment of the Broad-based Socio-economic Empowerment Charter for the South African Mining and Minerals Industry (launched in 2010) set further requirements in terms of employment equity targets; the Charter requires a 40% historically disadvantaged South African representation in core and critical skills by 2015. Although well intended, the establishment of gender equality in the male-dominant mining sector remains one of the biggest equity challenges in the country and numerous problems accompany the deployment of women in core mining activities. Against this background, the main objective of the study was to critically analyse gender issues in the mining sector and to subsequently develop a conceptual framework that will enable the mining sector to contribute to and ensure the sustainable employment of women in the mining sector. A literature review was done, firstly to provide an understanding of persistent inequalities in society and the workplace, and secondly to gain an in-depth understanding of the variables that have an impact on women in the world of work in general and in the mining sector specifically. An empirical study was conducted to determine and investigate relevant gender-related issues in the mining sector. Quantitative (questionnaires) and qualitative (semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions and direct observation) research paradigms were used. From the literature review as well as the empirical study, it is evident that the deployment of women in core positions is still accompanied by various challenges, not only for managers but also for male co-workers as well as the women themselves. Although the numbers of women in the South African mining industry have risen, there is still a long way to go to successfully and sustainably ensure women‟s participation in the industry. Through the literature study and the empirical research, it became clear that various factors need to be considered for the successful and sustainable deployment of women in the mining sector. The study concludes by making recommendations and offering a conceptual framework, with the main pillars being company policies, workplace opportunities, infrastructure facilities, physical ability, health and safety and workplace relations. This framework can be implemented and used by various stakeholders in the mining sector to contribute to the successful and sustainable deployment of women in the mining sector. / PhD (Sociology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

The Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (28 of 2002) (MPRDA) and the accompanied Broad-based Socio-economic Empowerment Charter aimed to rectify previous inequalities and disadvantages in the mining sector and specifically provide for the inclusion of women in core mining activities. According to the Act and the Charter, the mining industry was supposed to reach a quota of 10% women in core mining activities by 2009. The amendment of the Broad-based Socio-economic Empowerment Charter for the South African Mining and Minerals Industry (launched in 2010) set further requirements in terms of employment equity targets; the Charter requires a 40% historically disadvantaged South African representation in core and critical skills by 2015. Although well intended, the establishment of gender equality in the male-dominant mining sector remains one of the biggest equity challenges in the country and numerous problems accompany the deployment of women in core mining activities. Against this background, the main objective of the study was to critically analyse gender issues in the mining sector and to subsequently develop a conceptual framework that will enable the mining sector to contribute to and ensure the sustainable employment of women in the mining sector. A literature review was done, firstly to provide an understanding of persistent inequalities in society and the workplace, and secondly to gain an in-depth understanding of the variables that have an impact on women in the world of work in general and in the mining sector specifically. An empirical study was conducted to determine and investigate relevant gender-related issues in the mining sector. Quantitative (questionnaires) and qualitative (semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions and direct observation) research paradigms were used. From the literature review as well as the empirical study, it is evident that the deployment of women in core positions is still accompanied by various challenges, not only for managers but also for male co-workers as well as the women themselves. Although the numbers of women in the South African mining industry have risen, there is still a long way to go to successfully and sustainably ensure women‟s participation in the industry. Through the literature study and the empirical research, it became clear that various factors need to be considered for the successful and sustainable deployment of women in the mining sector. The study concludes by making recommendations and offering a conceptual framework, with the main pillars being company policies, workplace opportunities, infrastructure facilities, physical ability, health and safety and workplace relations. This framework can be implemented and used by various stakeholders in the mining sector to contribute to the successful and sustainable deployment of women in the mining sector. / PhD (Sociology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014