At South Deep mine, the flagship South African mine of gold mining company Gold Fields, women comprise 28% of the workforce – the highest percentage of female representation across all the miner’s global operations, says Gold Fields people and sustainability executive VP Mariette Steyn.

This strongly signals the progress Gold Fields has made towards gender inclusion in the mining sector, she notes.

Gold Fields, which operates mines in Africa, Australia and South America, has set a target to increase the representation of women in its workforce to 30% by 2030.

At the end of 2024, women comprised 25% of the company’s global workforce, and while this is unchanged from 2023, Steyn says it reflects a steady climb, from 16% in 2016.

The company sees this target as a key part of its long-term environmental, social and governance strategy, and an indicator of a safe, inclusive and high-performing workplace.

To achieve this goal, Gold Fields is focusing on increasing female participation across all job levels, from entry-level roles to senior leadership.

Gold Fields monitors progress monthly, considering a range of indicators, such as the number of women in core mining, technical and leadership roles, as well as recruitment and promotion trends.

At South Deep, there have already been positive shifts in leadership representation, as “women now make up 39% of middle management, 24% of junior management and 21% at supervisory level,” adds Steyn.

A Women’s Advisory Council, launched at the mine in late 2024, is helping to support this momentum. The council includes women from various job levels and plays a role in shaping policies and driving cultural change.

Gold Fields’ junior management, in Ghana, comprises 25% women, while women account for 14% and 16% of supervisory and middle-management roles respectively. Across the group globally, women occupy 44% of executive and board positions, and 34% of senior management roles.

In core mining jobs, which include roles such as engineers, geologists and machine operators, female representation rose to 56% in 2024, up from 54% in 2023.

Gold Fields has also introduced a number of policies to support women in the workplace, including flexible working arrangements, gender-neutral parental leave and reintegration programmes that assists employees in transitioning back to work after maternity or other forms of leave.

The company has also invested in upgrading mine facilities to make them safer and more inclusive, with improvements including better-designed bathrooms and change rooms, lactation rooms and workwear that is better suited to women.

Security measures at mine sites have also been strengthened, notes Steyn.

Workplace Culture Review

In 2023, Gold Fields commissioned an independent workplace culture review – conducted by gender equality, diversity and inclusion consultancy Elizabeth Broderick & Co – which assessed issues, such as sexism, harassment, bullying and the general treatment of women in the workplace.

Based on the findings, Gold Fields has started the Respectful Workplace Programme, which Steyn says will launch across all regions this year.

This programme focuses on leadership development, trauma-informed approaches to dealing with complaints and building awareness around bystander action and unconscious bias.

Also, training and development still remain central to the company’s approach, she says.

In 2024, Gold Fields spent $12.3-million on employee training, up from $8.8-million in 2023, translating to an average of $1 930 an employee. Much of this investment is allocated towards developing female talent and building a more inclusive leadership pipeline.

The company is also working with local organisations to support women in its surrounding communities. At South Deep, Gold Fields partnered with youth employment programme Youth Employment Services to enable 165 unemployed youth to gain work experience from 2022 to 2024, with 41 participating in 2024.

Gold Fields also worked with Signa Academy to support disabled youth, 60% of whom were women, in 2024.

The company is extending its diversity goals to contractors, suppliers and other partners in its value chain to widen the impact of its efforts and contribute to broader transformation in the mining industry.