Short Summary: This report investigates gender issues within the mining industry in South Africa and the South African Development Community (SADC). Why are so few women employed to work above and below ground? No laws exist to forbid women from working above ground and discriminatory laws have been repealed that forbid women to work underground. The report considers the potential contribution of the mining industry to women's economic advancement and to reducing women's poverty, by encouraging women's involvement in this male-dominated industry. A focus is recommended on growth areas within the mining sector - which is a job- shedding industry - as a key pathway to women's participation. A strategy to integrate women in the mining sector is needed, developed in partnership with mining companies, SADC governments and trade unions. (Source: adapted from the executive summary, Gender and Mining Report)

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