Striking the right balance

In 2016, BHP set a bold aspirational goal to achieve gender balance by 2025.

In the two years since we announced this aspirational goal, the action, debate and innovation it originally sparked has intensified across our company and within the industry. These forces are essential to bring about genuine change.

By the end of FY2018, 915 more women were employed at BHP compared to the same time last year. That is 915 individuals who will be given every opportunity to steer our industry into the future. The number of women in the business globally has increased by over 2,000, or 40 per cent, since 2016.

While this is positive progress, we know we have a lot more work ahead of us. This year we increased the female representation by 1.9 percentage points, and in the two years since we announced our goal, overall female representation has increased from 17.6 per cent to 22.4 per cent. This is a significant achievement when you consider that not long ago, few could imagine a future where the prevalence of women in the mining industry was normal, even routine.
 
Historically, the industry’s track record hasn’t been great. Until recently the problem was, effectively, overlooked.

At BHP, the tide has turned as we tackle the issue on multiple fronts.