Gender:South American Small Scale Mining and other mineral-

based activities

Maria Helena M. Rocha LimaZuleica C. Castilhos

Nuria Fernández CastroCENTRE FOR MINERAL TECHNOLOGY (BRAZIL)

Sharing Experience: Enhancing the Benefits to Communities from Extractive Industry Projects

Washington - June 19th, 2006

CETEM/MCTCETEM/MCTCentre for Mineral TechnologyCentre for Mineral Technology

Ministry of Science and Ministry of Science and Technology, BrazilTechnology, Brazil

Promote the Brazilian technological development creating solutions Promote the Brazilian technological development creating solutions compatible to the sustainable use of non-renewable resources and to the compatible to the sustainable use of non-renewable resources and to the environment preservation, thus contributing to the social welfare and to the environment preservation, thus contributing to the social welfare and to the economical progress of the country.economical progress of the country.

Gender in mining? There are no women in mining, just

men!

There are women in mining and always have been, but they are invisible to society.

Picture from De Re Metallica made by Georgius Agricola in 1556.

Gender in mining? There are no women in mining, just

men!

Even in mining areas, where women have worked, people don’t remember. Why?

Coal mining women from Santa Catarina, Brazil (1937 – 1964)

Some Statistics from the Extractive Industries (EI) labor force in Brazil

Male Female TotalFemale Participation (%)

EI labor force 218.003 16.866 234.869 7,18

Total labor force 40.860.097 24.769.796 65.629.892 37,74

EI / total (%) 0,53 0,07 0,36

Source: Demographic Census 2000, IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics)

Extractive Industries Labour Force distribution by activity and gender, 2000 – Brazil (%)

Male Female Total Female Participation

Coal Extraction 2,24 1,04 2,15 3,47

Petroleum, Natural Gas and Related Activities

9,89 16,35 10,36 11,33

Radioactive Minerals Extraction 0,06 0,00 0,06 0,00

Precious Metals Extraction 6,19 3,86 6,02 4,61

Metallic Minerals Extraction – except Precious and Radioactive Minerals 4,16 4,92 4,21 8,39

Stones and other Building Materials 32,25 24,98 31,73 5,65

Gems (Precious Stones) Extraction 6,02 5,62 5,99 6,73

Other No Metallic Minerals Extraction 4,34 4,88 4,38 8,00

Unspecified Minerals Extraction 34,85 38,35 35,10 7,85

Total Extractive Industries 100,00 100,00 100,00 7,18Source: Demographic Census 2000, IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics)

Roles of women in mining?

Mining workers, administration Care, commerce Cookers, prostitutes other “services” Mothers, sisters, daughters, wives and widows of male

miners Workers of others mineral based activities (supplies,

handicraft...)

Where are the women in mining ?

- In big and medium-sized mining operations, women represent 2-25% of the labour force. In Latin America, this figures are around 10%.

- Within the Artisanal and Small Scale Mining, there are empirical indications that female participation is inversely proportional to operations size.

ILO statistics indicate that female labour force in Small Scale Mining is about 30% (average).

PROSUL: First South American Project on Gender and Child Labour in Artisanal and Small Scale Mining

• Argentine, Bolivia, Brazil and Peru• Workshops: March and December, 2005• Field Studies:

– Artisanal Mining (gems) in Misiones (Argentine) by Andrea Mastrangelo

– Gold Artisanal Mining in Bolivia by Ana Maria Aranibar

– Child Labour in Artisanal Mining in Peru by Cesar Mosquera

– Family business in the Soapstone Handicraft in Brazil by CETEM/UFOP group

Bolivia – Gold Artisanal Mining

Peru – Child Labour in Artisanal Mining

Brazil – Family Business in the Soapstone Handicraft

Argentina – Artisanal Mining (Gems)

Precious Miseries: Child Labour and Gender

(Misiones, Argentina)

Andrea Mastrangelo Universidad Nacional de Misiones – CONICET - Argentine

(Misiones, Argentina)Precious stones informal extraction and commerce

Women in artisanal gold production (Bolivia)

Ana Maria Aranibar, Cumbre del Sajama

Bolivian mining women self-diagnostic their working and living conditions

Child Labour in Artisanal and Small Scale Mining (Peru)

Cesar Mosquera ILO - Peru

Family business in the Soapstone Handicraft (Brazil)

Zuleica Castilhos, Maria Helena Lima, Nuria Castro, Olívia Bezerra and Alessandra PortugalCETEM, Brazil

Gendered tasks in soapstone handicraft, Minas Gerais (Brazil)

Minas Gerais - Brazil

Unhealthy environment

Common characteristics

Poverty and lack of opportunities

Women-headed families (in male organized societies)

Informal Artisanal Mining

Unhealthy and risky working environment

THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!

OBRIGADA!!

Maria Helena Rocha LimaCETEM/MCT – Brazil

mrocha:@cetem.gov.br