Gender Assessment of Small-Scale Mining in Mongolia. The Asia Foundation, Mongolia - 2013

SUMMARY:

The objective of this consultancy was to conduct an assessment on the gender dimensions of artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) in Mongolia and develop a gender mainstreaming strategy for the ESEC II project, which is co-financed by TAF and SDC.

The researchers observed that Mongolia’s socialist tradition, which supported a high degree of gender equity, was overtly present in organization of the ASM sector. While ASM is characterized by a clear gender divide of labor, the sector overall is equitable and women and men appear to similarly benefit from their work as miners and partnership members. Yet even though male miners work, on average, more hours a week and tend to perform the jobs that are considered ‘hardest’, when it comes to dividing the mining profits all partnership members receive an equal share.

While the image arises of ASM as a sector with a large degree of gender equity, several markers suggest that particularly men but also many women continue to see women as less worthy miners. In this context, the data suggest that women have a slightly more positive view of the capabilities of female miners than men. Nevertheless, many miners believe that women and men are equally skilled as miners and ASM leaders of partnerships and NGOs. Moreover, ASM is a viable livelihood option for women because of the option to work flexible hours, the equal pay in partnerships, and the opportunities to strengthen their leadership potentials and gain self-confidence as ASM leaders. .