Forums advancing women representation
LINDA MAHLANGU The metallurgical sector does not struggle to attract women as much as it struggles to retain them
Specialty chemicals company Clariant – which is focused on sustainability and innovation – strongly believes in diversity and inclusion within the company.
This, the company says, can be noted in the inroads that have been made in recent years, particularly in terms of the formation of mining forums for women.
These forums have played a big part in showing the importance of women in mining, with more women occupying top positions in the industry – which was not the case in previous years.
While Clariant’s mining business unit is still growing in South Africa, it has, in the past year, managed to double the number of its women metallurgists.
This indicates that the company is not only aiming to increase women representation but is also ensuring that women who have the right skills and expertise are hired, Clariant SA regional metallurgist Linda Mahlangu tells Mining Weekly.
Mahlangu states that the metallurgical sector, specifically, does not struggle to attract women as much as it struggles to retain them.
She suggests that this is because of a culture that does not foster fairness towards everybody, where a mistake made by a woman could, for example, become exaggerated and met with disparaging comments.
Mahlangu believes that there should be more awareness surrounding workplace culture to ensure that the work environment is fair, and that women are treated as equals.
“Women working in this field should never be made to feel like they need to change who they are to fit into the industry. They need to believe that they are worthy and are making a positive contribution in mining,” she affirms.
The Path Forward
Mahlangu points out that mentorship and support, as well as development, in terms of skills training and development, are still lacking.
“With the industry still largely male-dominated, we still hear about women having been made to feel unsafe in the workplace. About two years ago, women in mining gathered in Rustenburg, in the North West, to highlight the discomfort they feel over harassment.”
Therefore, there is still a lot of awareness training that needs to be done, she emphasises.
“During my journey in this field, I have had the honour of mentoring aspiring metallurgists and it makes me proud to see some of my previous mentees occupying good positions at mines,” Mahlangu enthuses.
She encourages the women wanting to thrive in this industry to continue working hard towards their goals while maintaining their femininity.
“For instance, as a woman, it is in my nature to be nurturing and adaptable. These are some of the traits that I believe have made me thrive in this industry for more than 18 years.”
Mahlangu states that allowing for more flexibility in the working environment will enable women to not only develop in their careers as metallurgists but also continue as caregivers for their families.
This, she concludes, will bode well towards strengthening a culture of inclusion and equality within the workplace.
Comments
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation