It’s time to boost women’s mining participation – DENR chief

Environment Secretary Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga speaks before mining industry leaders at the Philippine Mining Club on Friday, March 10, 2023. Photo from the DENR

MANILA, Philippines — Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga has called for more women in mining.

Speaking before mining industry leaders at the Philippine Mining Club, the DENR chief said: “There’s a need to ensure that women’s representation in the mining industry is both meaningful and substantive in all levels of decision-making.”

Yulo-Loyzaga said women in the mining industry confront gender discrimination and a lack of jobs outside of mining enterprises, citing data from the Philippine Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.

READ: Women’s rights in every space

Yulo-Loyzaga hopes that there will be “an enabling and empowering environment for women,” which includes enhancing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education for women.

“We hope that this will include the upscaling, strengthening STEM education to motivate women to pursue careers that are very important and related to the industry,” she noted.

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