Women in Geosciences and extractive sector: Structural Barriers and Strategic Opportunities for a Sustainable Transition

Women’s participation in geosciences and the extractive sector has increased over recent decades; however, significant gender disparities persist across regions and career stages. Despite strong representation at undergraduate and early-career levels, women remain markedly underrepresented in senior academic, technical, and decision-making positions [1], particularly within mining, raw materials, and energy-related industries. Structural barriers—including gender bias, limited access to leadership roles, career instability, and challenges in work–life balance—continue to constrain women’s long-term retention and professional advancement across Europe, South America, and Africa.

This contribution provides a comparative analysis of women’s roles in geosciences and in the extractive sector, drawing on interdisciplinary approach and professional experience from European Union countries (focusing on Italy, Spain, Portugal), South America (Brazil), and Africa (Mozambique). In Europe, institutional gender-equality frameworks have supported women’s entry into geoscience education, yet vertical segregation and uneven career progression remain prevalent [2]. In South America, women increasingly contribute to mineral resources research, environmental monitoring, and sustainable mining practices, although disparities in access to funding, institutional recognition, and industry–academia integration persist. In African contexts, women play a critical role in artisanal and large scale mining, environmental management, and community engagement, but face compounded barriers related to education access, professional networks and work–life balance.

The analysis highlights that gender inclusion represents a strategic opportunity to enhance innovation, governance quality, and resilience in addressing highly demanding issues such as raw material supply, environmental risks, and the main challenges associated with the green and digital transitions; in these sector, geosciences—ranging from a solid foundation in geology and Earth sciences to more applied disciplines—play a crucial role. Integrating gender equity into Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) frameworks has been shown to improve risk management, stakeholder engagement, and sustainable decision-making in the extractive sector [3]. Aligning women’s participation with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals—particularly SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), and SDG 13 (Climate Action)—is therefore essential to ensure that geosciences-driven solutions are both effective and equitable.

This contribution argues that reducing the gender gap in geosciences and mining is not only a matter of social justice but a strategic requirement for responsible resource governance and a sustainable energy transition. Targeted actions across education, academia, and industry—such as mentoring programmes, inclusive leadership pathways, gender-responsive training, and transparent ESG metrics—are key to fostering the entry, retention, and advancement of women in geoscience-related professions.

 

[1] Bernstein, D., 2024. A Path to Gender Equity in the Geosciences: Empowering Women Postdocs. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc.,105: E686–E689, https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-22-0116.1

[2] Agnini, C., Pamato, M.G., Salviulo, G., Barchi, K.I., Nestola, F., 2020. Women in geosciences within the Italian University system in the last 20 years. Adv. Geosci., 53: 155–167, https://doi.org/10.5194/adgeo-53-155-2020

[3] Kincaid, C., Smith, N.M., 2021. Diversity and inclusion in mining: An analysis of indicators used in sustainability reporting. The Extractive Industries and Society, 8 (4):100981. ISSN 2214-790X. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exis.2021.100981