Abstract

This article analyzes the perceptions of higher education female students enrolled in mining courses in Chile about their employment expectation and employment conditions offered by the mining industry. The motivations, visions and employment expectations in the mining industry were analyzed through a descriptive, comparative and qualitative methodology based in 59 interviews with thematic focus to mining courses students. The results show the tensions that female students perceive from the beginning to the end of their courses, due to male hegemony that dominates the industry, the uncertainty to combine motherhood and work, the inequity perceived and the labor obstacles they face. The implication of the study is to address gender training from higher education and thereby improve labor projection of women in male labor markets. This aspect is a pending task at both national and Latin American level