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RESEARCH REPORT Are you tough enough? Gender in mining: The story so far It's time to get tough on "gender" in mining. It's time to move beyond what so far has been quite a limiting debate and to get stuck into some serious action. And we need to make sure that the range of actions we think we can or should take are not stifled by the existing practices of gender that currently shape the mining industry's culture, writes . Discussions on gender in the mining industry have been limited to the under-representation of women in the workforce and the "glass ceiling" many women encounter. In response, we now see special award ceremonies and luncheons to honour and support the women who have "made it". The debate so far has been about women and gender, gender and women. There's been somewhat of a convenient assumption here that gender has nothing to do with men. And yet, 85 per cent of workers in mining in Australia today are men. Many different research methods have also been used to investigate the relationship between gender and risk, with the conclusions always showing the same result: men take more risks than women. If we knew of any other reason why 85 per cent of our employees were more likely to engage in at-risk behaviours while at work, I think we would be doing a lot more. So what is it about gender that makes dedicated and sustainable action so difficult? And why do we tend to ignore men in the debate? Being a "real man" Despite the rise in popularity over the past decade of the groomed-to-perfection "metrosexual", the Rambo culture of invincibility and destruction remains strong. From an early age, boys still learn that displays of strength will help them avoid ridicule and that they will be more accepted if they have big muscles, can cope with pain, and are able to compete and win. Australia is a culture which celebrates acts of larrikinism but where larrikinism can often tip over into bullying and abuse. This desire to be the perfect man does not end when boys exit the playground. Many men continue to try and prove their manhood on the streets, in their homes and in the workplace. "Real men" certainly don't go into nursing or education. But they do go into mining. It's here they have more opportunity to be surrounded by men, live in isolation, play with big toys, earn a lot of money, get dirty and build stuff. As a result of the culture we live in, many men view requests for assistance or displays of fear as signs of weakness. They find it hard to seek help when it comes to issues affecting their own health. They don't see how a few knocks, scratches and cuts to the body really matter. In fact, these injuries can often serve to initiate them into real manhood; they are their gender scars. Caring about his body might result in a man being called names that seek to undermine his manhood: princess, poofter, pansy. Showing emotion might expose him as a bit of a "girl". As a means of proving himself to be a real man, he may even be inclined to bully those he sees as weaker than himself, participating in the verbal and sexual harassment of his female and male colleagues. This is one way he can avoid being the object of ridicule himself. He may even believe that it takes an aggressive and dominating person to be a success. And he may see this to be the truth when he looks at the attitudes and behaviours of his workplace leaders. This "real man" model – whether played out by men or women – is certainly not agreeable with the safety standards demanded by many mining companies today. But these same mining companies often encourage this kind of man. We expect our employees to reflect and look after each other, while simultaneously allowing practices of gender to drive at-risk and aggressive behaviours. We may even find that we participate in these kinds of behaviours too. After all, they appear to be normal – they are exactly what we would expect of a man. Tackling the impacts of gender In social contexts where it has been recognised that gender has an influence on behaviours, we have seen the development of targeted solutions. For road safety, there are advertisements aimed specifically at young men, utilising images and language that resonate with them. In sport – particularly where we see evidence of disrespectful behaviour being exhibited towards women by players off the field – peer-mentoring programs are helping change the way "mates" respond to each other's public behaviours. In the mining industry, the training programs currently used to address gender issues generally make only vague references to discrimination and workplace sexual harassment. In my experience, the strategies for dealing with gender are rarely planned, and the result is that little gets done. Many companies may have a vision or a cultural value that makes some reference to diversity. But few have a plan to ensure this vision can become a reality. They lack awareness of how to integrate gender diversity throughout their operations. They simply do not understand the importance of "mainstreaming" gender to ensure it is not just a sideline topic of little relevance to the workplace. I have witnessed gender-related issues being handed over to a 17-year-old vacation student who uses Google as her only aid to find resources about gender in the workplace. I have heard a mine manager inform his leadership team he wants 30 per cent of its positions filled by women within two years. He gave no rationale for this decision. He miraculously expects all the sitting male members to support it without dissent. And he naively assumes that one of the positions could never be his. Dr Dean Laplonge 66 The Australasian Mine Safety Journal Summer 2011/12