Abstract

In 2022, female participation in STEM areas grew by 35% in Latin America and the Caribbean. However, this promising increase has not yet translated into a significant cultural transformation in the mining sector, given the gender dilemmas that women continue to face in this industry. The aim of this study is to analyze the tension between the contributions women make and the expectations placed upon them. The research was conducted from a gender perspective within the STEM field. To this end, interviews were carried out: 12 individual interviews with women working in mining and 14 group interviews with technical and university students. A total of 39 women and 35 men from mining-oriented programs participated. The findings reveal consistent views among the interviewees: women recognize that they contribute communication, planning, leadership, and responsibility skills to the sector, yet at the same time face high expectations to achieve outstanding performance in higher education and in the industry, since the prevailing male productivity model operates “in favor of men” and not of women.