Laine Munir, a professor of Global Challenges at African Leadership University and a researcher at the University of Rwanda’s Center of Excellence in Biodiversity and Natural Resource Management has called for enforcement of gender quotas in mining business.

Gender quotas are defined as positive measurement instrument aimed at accelerating the achievement of gender-balanced participation and representation by establishing a defined proportion (percentage) or number of places or seats to be filled by, or allocated to, women and/or men, generally under certain rules or criteria

She holds a Ph.D. in socio-legal studies at New York University and Master’s in Human Rights at Columbia University.

Her work now is in political anthropology and focuses on gender and the environment for her book manuscript. 

Doing Business recently caught up with her during her research on women in mining tunnels.

Excerpts:

You have launched a study titled, "Women, Conflict, and Modern Mining in Rwanda”: Why are you interested in mining and why did you choose this theme? 

The wording of "conflict” is mostly about competing needs.

 How do we balance the need to increase a country’s GDP through mining with environmental protections? How do we balance improved incomes for rural populations, especially women, when natural land must be converted for extraction?

My background before coming to Rwanda was in women’s relationships with natural resources in West Africa.

I lived in Nigeria to study women’s roles in the oil conflict in the Niger Delta region.

Doing Business recently caught up with Laine Munir during her research on women in mining tunnels. Photos: Courtesy.

When I moved to Rwanda, it was immediately clear that the mining of 3T minerals for electronics was pivotal to the national economy and natural resource management here.

Rwanda is a particularly interesting case study because gender equality is a pillar of the national agenda.

I was curious how women’s interactions with natural resources might be impacted by this national agenda. 

Where is the research being carried out? 

Since February, my four-person research team has been exploring mining activities in six communities in all five provinces of Rwanda.

We have had interviews and group discussions with 65 women so far and will soon be holding expert interviews.

I think the unique element of our research is social mapping.

We hold workshops for women in mining communities to draw maps of important places in their daily lives so we can understand their experiences geospatially.

They narrate to us how they move through their mining environments and we place those movements on maps. 

How is mining positively affecting women?

Nearly all of our participants have reported that mining increases their income.

They seem to really value being paid a salary in cash rather than trading or selling crops they grow on their own. They like the liquidity of mining income.

The first thing they often say about mining incoming is that it allows them to pay their children’s school fees. 

What are the challenges that women are facing in mining in your observation?

There are several challenges for women in mining.

A common theme is how difficult it is for women to work comfortably in a male-dominated environment.

They often don’t feel empowered to apply for jobs with mining companies and then, even after being hired, it feels a bit like a "boys’ club’ to them and they aren’t brought into leadership or high decision-making.

They may face opposition from their husbands and partners in working such jobs.

Especially during the financial crisis, they feel like their lower-tiered roles make them more expendable. 

There is also a social stigma for Rwanda women who work in mining.

There is a feeling that it is a man’s job, and that they should be farming or relying on their husband’s income instead.

There is the negative stereotype that they are sexualized in their work relationships at mines. 

How could these challenges negatively affect women?

Women’s marginalization from certain mining positions could increase the gender-wage gap.

Women already earn less than men in nearly every country in the world, even when they are as qualified as men for the same positions.

Unfortunately, many studies show us that when women have low incomes, they are more likely to have worse health outcomes and experience higher rates of gender-based violence. 

Then, when women are not hired and put into upward career trajectories, they don’t get opportunities to improve their technical know-how and experience, which is an issue of continuing education for them.

There is also a larger problem of visual representation of gender equality for younger generations.

When women do not hold enough positions, and meaningful ones, in scientific fields like mining, that sends the message to girls that it isn’t fruitful for them to pursue a future in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) fields.

It creates a cycle in which women are left out of science jobs and education, and that is to all of society’s detriment.  

In any sector, companies always benefit from gender-integrated leadership and decision-making.

Studies show that women have particular skill sets and communication styles that improve company outcomes.

In terms of environmental management, we know that rural women and men don’t always have the same relationships with the land because of gender-constructed labor roles, and these differing relationships mean they have differing expertise.

For example, rural women are positioned to have specialized knowledge about water sources because they are most often responsible for water in the home.

There are many issues that women are particularly knowledgeable about that would benefit companies. 

What are your recommendations based on your findings in the study?

It is really too early for me to say.

However, I suspect the mining sector might benefit from having gender liaisons or committees at the company, provincial, or maybe national level to deal with gender-specific challenges that exist, like detrimental norms about what is appropriate "women’s work” in mining.

It is possible that enforcing gender quotas in hiring at each level of mining labor would be beneficial.

I also encourage awareness campaigns among female undergraduates so they can more carefully consider careers in all fields. 

Do you think modern mining has particular advantages for women?

Well, one benefit of modern mining, as opposed to traditional mining done more manually, is mechanization.

There is a deeply entrenched belief that women are not physically strong enough for the highest paid jobs underground, although I argue against this.

With increased technology in mining, women may be better positioned to master machinery that doesn’t rely completely on physical strength.

Rwanda is trying to close down artisanal and small-scale mines (ASMs) in favor of larger and more formal operations.

Certainly, the latter would be easier for the government to regulate for gender-equitable outcomes. 

Researcher Munir makes case for ‘gender quotas’ in mining labor.