S&P Global: More Women in Metals, Mining Leadership Roles

New data from S&P Global Commodity Insights shows more women now serve in leadership roles in the metal and mining sector, a traditionally male-dominated industry. However, data also shows the industry "still has a ways to go." 

According to S&P Global, women fill about 12.1% of the C-suite positions in more than 2,000 global publicly traded mining companies, up 1.6% since October 2021. Women also comprise 14% of all executive positions, up 1.7% from 2021, and increased their share of board roles by 8% in the same time period.

Mining has "always been a man's world," said MGE associate professor Angelina Anani in an interview with S&P Global. Breaking into the "boys' club" is difficult, even in university settings, as engineering majors are often dominated by men. After graduation, things can be even more difficult "as success measures become less objective and mentorship opportunities become scarcer," Anani said.

A 2019 survey by the International Labour Organization found that 57.4% of companies agreed that gender diversity initiatives improve business outcomes.

"Though we say safety first, you must make money to survive," Anani said. "If bringing in women actually increases your productivity and profits and so forth — even if you don't like working with women — I think as an executive, we can agree that that's a good decision to take."