June 8, 2010 -- “I now have money in the bank and am able to send my children to a good school” – these are words that all parents dream to say, but for Violet Pholose in South Africa, they are a reality.
Violet is a plant attendant at IFC client Lonmin Platinum. She is one of 1,587 women working at the mining company and benefitting from the well-paying and stable jobs that mining offers people around the world.
IFC advisory services and investment staff in Africa and Washington have spent the last two years working with Lonmin to create an environment that will increase women’s role in the mining company's operations. IFC has helped Lonmin increase the number of women employees by 40 percent; women make up 6.7 percent of the company's workforce.
With the program coming to a close, IFC recently shared its experiences and successes with representatives from the United Nations and mining companies Rio Tinto and Newmont.
“Mining companies have seen improved safety and decreased absenteeism after hiring women, but the real test will be to prove the business case for increased female participation in mining over the long run," said Monika Weber-Fahr, IFC Manager, Sustainability Advisory Services. "The next step for us at IFC is to apply what we learned working with Lonmin and help other companies see the value in increasing women in their workforce."
Many of the changes IFC helped implement are tangible and immediate, such as providing female changing rooms and educating workers on sexual harassment.
However, much of the work involved challenging traditional mining management and organizational structures to advance women within the industry. T
he results from these larger changes will take several years to bear fruit, but Lonmin's management remains committed to ensuring that women have the same career and pay opportunities that men enjoy. Lonmin management is confident that it has already increased the company's competitiveness.
“IFC’s partnership with Lonmin illustrates that when IFC can provide clients with a cohesive investment and advisory services package we significantly increase the development impact of our projects," said William Bulmer, IFC Associate Director of the Oil, Gas, Mining, and Chemicals Department. “Our work in areas such as gender also differentiates us in the marketplace and is a powerful sales tool.”
Click here to learn more about IFC’s gender work with Lonmin.
Contributed by Josef Skoldeberg, Oil, Gas, Mining, and Chemicals/Communications Practice Group
