Escondida recently reached a 31.4% female workforce, advancing towards our goal of reaching gender balance by 2025. 

In 2016, we established the global aspiration to achieve gender balance. We were pioneers in the inclusion of women in mining and today the presence of women in our workforce represents 30%, almost triple the average for female representation in the industry in Chile.

At Minerals Americas we have an Inclusion and Diversity Council, and policies to encourage diversity and ensure that everyone at BHP is free to truly be who they are.

Tatiana, Marcela and Rosa are the reason we are able to reach this figure and have kindly shared their experiences.

Rosa tells that when she started working in Escondida there were no women as operators or maintainers. "I am proud to have paved the way for all my colleagues to embrace and learn from coexistence," says the current planner at the Laguna Seca concentrator.

Marcela works as a crusher operator and is the only woman on her shift currently. “This year new fleets of autonomous trucks are arriving and it's exciting to be part of the future of mining” she says. “I am proud to work at the largest copper-producing mine in the world.”

Tatiana, an operator at the Electrowinning plant, recalls the change in the industry since 2011, when she started working in mining. “We are capable of many things, we have empowered ourselves. This is what we have shown so far with more to come."

We have found our most inclusive and diverse teams deliver safety benefits, have a better culture and are more productive than other teams. It creates a more harmonious environment and makes BHP a better place to work for all employees, regardless of gender.