Written by : ROBERT SPENCE

THE PUSH FOR more women in the mining industry isn ’ t just a fairness argument ; it ’ s a necessity .

According to Ernst & Young , accelerating women ’ s advancement in the workplace not only increases economic growth , but it also improves prosperity and stronger communities . In fact , evidence points to women in leadership roles such as executive or board members have a positive effect on profit margins .

While the ratio of women in the mining sector is nowhere near where it should be , organizations around the world are striving to make a bigger impact . The call to action is growing stronger , and beaming louder , than ever before .

Glass ceiling By simply looking at the numbers , the mining industry is still largely run by men .

The U . S . Bureau of Labor Statistics reports only 13 percent of the mining industry is occupied by females , while only 17 percent of the sector ’ s

20 A pril 2015