Women make up 30%-50% of the global workforce in artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM). In Senegal where artisanal and small-scale mines provide nearly 25% of the gold output, improving the working conditions for women directly impacts the sector's productivity.

In Senegal, male artisanal miners earn 1.5 times more than women. The Women in Mining (WIM) Senegal network revealed the figure last January, in its WIM Index. The report measures gender equality in the local mining sector.

WIM attributes this inequality to differences in tasks performed by male and female workers. Unlike men, women only complete residual tasks such as sweeping, sifting, washing, and filtering in search of gold residues. These are less profitable than other roles such as mine chiefs or owners, or even diggers.

"They struggle to advance in roles and responsibilities that require capital because they often spend the income derived from gold panning on children's education and family food, unlike men, who are more inclined to invest part of their income in physical assets," the report indicates.

According to a study conducted in 2018 by the United Nations Environment Program and Senegalese authorities, nearly 50% of the sector's workforce is made up of women. The unequal treatment they face can directly impact the sector's overall productivity, which represents nearly a quarter of national gold production (nearly 5 tons of gold compared to 15 tons for industrial mines according to the Ministry of Mines).

According to Ege Tekinbas, policy advisor on gender equality at the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining (IGF), women's difficulty in accessing financing and adequate mining equipment forces them to use rudimentary equipment that can reduce their productivity.

Tekinbas suggests, however, that reducing income and productivity gaps between genders could help tackle food insecurity, poverty, and education disparities. "Many studies have shown that women tend to spend their income on family nutrition and their children's education. Therefore, investing in women is investing in our future," he said. 

Emiliano Tossou