The term "man-drought" is coined by leading demographer Bernard Salt in his latest book Man Drought and Other Social Issues of the New Century where he explores some of the key issues that will affect us in the coming 20 years. In particular, the lack of male partners affecting single women in their 20s and 30s will worsen, as will the "sheila shortage" for men in their 20s.

 

Salt's KPMG Report in 2005 showed that, in every age group between 29 and 55, women now outnumber men. The hardest hit is the generation in their 30s, where there are 20,000 more women than men. With the changing demographics and the supposed 'man drought', KPMG found that a new single culture amongst Australian women has evolved.

The Australian mining industry has taken note of the "shiela shortage" with as much gusto as trying to tackle the skills shortage in its industry generally. It needs minesites to employ effective initiatives to attract and retain female workers so that the skills women bring can benefit mining business and to address massive gender imbalance in those work environments.

It is therefore vital for employers to think of ways to attract women into the mining trade if increased productivity is to be sustained into the future.

A major hindrance to women participating in the mines is pay inequity. The AusIMM's Remuneration and Employment survey found that 27% of female respondents perceived themselves as being paid less compared to their male colleagues who were performing the same role.

Workplace flexibility proved to be the major point making mining unappealing to women. The survey found that nearly 30% of women had caring responsibilities - the majority (90%) for children, and 7% for an elderly person. Only 2% said that their employer provided a childcare facility.

BHP Billiton Mitsibushi Alliance's Blackwater Mine is one of very few minesites that actually operates a licensed child-care facility. Melanie Gordon, who is the senior mechanical engineer at BHP, believes that it is these types of initiatives that help attract and retain female employees in the minerals sector.

"Women are definitely a minority in the mining industry, so it is important to have support from various organisations to attract women to work in the industry," said Gordon.

“The mining industry is not seen as an attractive career option for women and very few of them know what opportunities are available. With the skills shortage in Australia, women are an untapped resource that could help solve this problem,” Gordon stresses.

Quality affordable child care is therefore a prerequisite to effective attraction and retention of female employees, as well as aiding the retention of male employees.

Maternity leave was another factor that contributed towards women moving out of the minerals sector. The survey demonstrated that barely half of the female respondents who took maternity leave returned to the same employer.

The women surveyed represent professionals in key technical disciplines, often with deep corporate knowledge of the organisations in which they work. Hence, the cost to the company of losing them is quite significant.

According to The AusIMM, there is no single solution to increasing women’s equitable participation in the minerals sector. However, a package of family-friendly policies will make a significant difference in the long term.

These include the availability of flexible work practices, quality part-time work arrangements, affordable child care facilities and a period of mandated paid parental leave.

Indeed, in a bid to address some of the issues with high turnover of women taking maternity leave, the AusIMM in July made a submission indicating that a paid parental leave scheme would assist in the retention of women.

According to Gordon, increasing the number of women in mining could make all the difference on-site. 

“I’ve had feedback from many of my co-workers, who have been in the industry for a long time, and they have all said that it is a more enjoyable and professional work environment with women,” she said. “I’ve also been told that women pay more attention to detail and are better communicators.”

If mining as a career path doesn't appeal to women, then they ought to consider the personal opportunities mining can provide. This is exactly what the website, Meet A Mining Man, has been set up to do.

The latest in online dating is meeting a guy who doesn't just enjoy romantic walks along the beach, but is one who has a viable career, earning capacity and 'real man' skills.

 

With high demand for workers from mining companies and many men turning towards (Fly In Fly Out) FIFO careers for the monetary rewards, the gender gap in cities and towns is becoming quite noticeable.

Meet A Mining Man  aims to connect 90,000 male mining employees in the country on Fly in Fly out (FIFO) work rosters with single local women. It's easy to see how the concept can extend to FIFO women attracted to mining too.

The site's service is based on research by Nick Keown in 2005 where Western Australian miners cited personal health issues, emotional changes, social isolation and relationship problems as being key risks in their mining career. So, by addressing this and attracting more women to the ming workforce, it's a win for them and for employers who may suffer bigger skills shortages if men decide to leave mining. 

The women they would be meeting are products of Generations X and Y and they are more independent, with increasing emphasis on their careers and personal consumer decisions, such as property purchases. That means if a future partner or husband has a FIFO roster, these women are more likely to cope better with those arrangements.

So, while the "Man Drought" may be gripping our cities, the "Shiela Drought" is gripping our country areas and mining regions.

 

If you're looking for a man and a career, it might be time to go west.