The influence of geomorphology on the role of women at artisanal and small‐scale mine sites

Abstract

The geologic and geomorphic expressions of a mineral deposit determine its location, size, and accessibility, characteristics which in turn greatly influence the success of artisans mining the deposit. Despite this critical information, which can be garnered through studying the surficial physical expression of a deposit, the geologic and geomorphic sciences have been largely overlooked in artisanal mining‐related research. This study demonstrates that a correlation exists between the roles of female miners at artisanal diamond and gold mining sites in western and central Africa and the physical expression of the deposits. Typically, women perform ore processing and ancillary roles at mine sites. On occasion, however, women participate in the extraction process itself. Women were found to participate in the extraction of ore only when a deposit had a thin overburden layer, thus rendering the mineralized ore more accessible. When deposits required a significant degree of manual labour to access the ore due to thick overburden layers, women were typically relegated to other roles. The identification of this link encourages the establishment of an alternative research avenue in which the physical and social sciences merge to better inform policymakers, so that the most appropriate artisanal mining assistance programs can be developed and implemented.

Mercury Pollution and Artisanal Gold Mining in Alto Cauca, Colombia: Woman's Perception of Health and Environmental Impacts

“…These practices are different from those traditionally worked by men, as masculine mines are located at permanent extraction sites and require significantly higher degree of manual labor. This situation resembles the one described by Malpeli and Chirico (2013) for Western and Central Africa, in which the geomorphology of the mining sites was found to be a crucial characteristic with great influence in the gender roles of male and female in alluvial diamond and gold mining.…”

“…In fact, approximately 20% of global gold is extracted in this form (Armah, Boamah, Quansah, Obiri, & Luginaah, 2016). While artisanal gold mines can be diverse in their social and environmental nature, they are generally characterized by unmechanized operations, rudimentary tools, labor-intensive techniques, and small-scale extraction of ore (Lahiri-Dutt, 2015; Malpeli & Chirico, 2013).…”

Fried eggs and all-women gangs: the geopolitics of Chinese gold mining in Ghana, bodily vulnerability, and resistance

“…ASM industries are often perceived as male dominated despite women's ubiquitous involvement 4 ; "consequently, most research and policies have concentrated on men's jobs, while the contributions of women have been 'marginalized' and often overlooked" (Koomson, 2018: 101). Recent research has shed light on women's ASM participation (Buss et al, 2019;Hinton et al, 2017;Lahiri-Dutt, 2008;Lahiri-Dutt, 2015;Malpeli and Chirico, 2013). In Malian gold mining sites, women engage extra-marital relationships (petit mariage) that increase mineral access and represent a "pragmatic strategy to reduce risk and maximize benefit in a highly uncertain workplace" (Brottem and Ba, 2019: 56).…”

Between the Plough and the Pick: Informal, artisanal and small-scale mining in the contemporary world

“…They are not usually found digging the main ore bodies and going underground, but they may be found digging or panning around the edges, transporting, washing and processing. Malpeli and Chirico (2013) investigated 137 gold and diamond sites in West Africa over five years, collecting data directly from women at mine sites. They found that women's participation in mineral extraction was dependent on the thickness of the overburden and accessibility of the deposit, and that women were mostly involved in processing.…”