Breaking Down Barriers: Planning for a Gender Diverse Mining Workforce in the Kootenay Region of British Columbia
In the Kootenay region of British Columbia (BC), mining has historically been a male dominated sector. Natural resource dependent communities, such as those found in the Kootenay region, have traditionally lacked employment opportunities for women. In addition, women choosing to pursue careers in th...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Queen's University
2022-09-01
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| Series: | Canadian Planning and Policy |
| Subjects: |
| _version_ | 1811315352090443776 |
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| author | Claire Buchanan Sean Markey Sarah-Patricia Breen |
| author_facet | Claire Buchanan Sean Markey Sarah-Patricia Breen |
| author_sort | Claire Buchanan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In the Kootenay region of British Columbia (BC), mining has historically been a male dominated sector. Natural resource dependent communities, such as those found in the Kootenay region, have traditionally lacked employment opportunities for women. In addition, women choosing to pursue careers in the mining sector can face numerous challenges. As part of the larger Regional Workforce Development in Rural BC project, this research focuses on ways to build a more gender diverse mining workforce in the Kootenay region. Building connections to planning theory and practice in the region, the paper investigates the opportunities available to women in rural resource communities, and the challenges they face regarding employment in the mining sector. Results show that in the Kootenay region there may be a shift occurring in mining company culture. More progressive policies and respectful workplace culture, combined with gender-oriented planning initiatives, appear to create a more gender inclusive mining sector. The results also show significant challenges associated with social infrastructure and supports, specifically a lack of child care spots, high rental and real estate prices, and the lack of opportunities for further education for women who want to enter the Kootenay mining workforce. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T11:28:51Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8e6e6895953c45d09c63df51d79c4f82 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2562-122X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T11:28:51Z |
| publishDate | 2022-09-01 |
| publisher | Queen's University |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Canadian Planning and Policy |
| spelling | doaj.art-8e6e6895953c45d09c63df51d79c4f822022-12-22T02:48:37ZengQueen's UniversityCanadian Planning and Policy2562-122X2022-09-0120221718710.24908/cppapc.v2022i1.14818Breaking Down Barriers: Planning for a Gender Diverse Mining Workforce in the Kootenay Region of British ColumbiaClaire Buchanan0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9359-2572Sean Markey1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6335-0687Sarah-Patricia Breen2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7206-3866Simon Fraser UniversitySimon Fraser UniversitySelkirk CollegeIn the Kootenay region of British Columbia (BC), mining has historically been a male dominated sector. Natural resource dependent communities, such as those found in the Kootenay region, have traditionally lacked employment opportunities for women. In addition, women choosing to pursue careers in the mining sector can face numerous challenges. As part of the larger Regional Workforce Development in Rural BC project, this research focuses on ways to build a more gender diverse mining workforce in the Kootenay region. Building connections to planning theory and practice in the region, the paper investigates the opportunities available to women in rural resource communities, and the challenges they face regarding employment in the mining sector. Results show that in the Kootenay region there may be a shift occurring in mining company culture. More progressive policies and respectful workplace culture, combined with gender-oriented planning initiatives, appear to create a more gender inclusive mining sector. The results also show significant challenges associated with social infrastructure and supports, specifically a lack of child care spots, high rental and real estate prices, and the lack of opportunities for further education for women who want to enter the Kootenay mining workforce.mininggender workforce developmentkootenaysbritish columbiarural |
| spellingShingle | Claire Buchanan Sean Markey Sarah-Patricia Breen Breaking Down Barriers: Planning for a Gender Diverse Mining Workforce in the Kootenay Region of British Columbia Canadian Planning and Policy mining gender workforce development kootenays british columbia rural |
| title | Breaking Down Barriers: Planning for a Gender Diverse Mining Workforce in the Kootenay Region of British Columbia |
| title_full | Breaking Down Barriers: Planning for a Gender Diverse Mining Workforce in the Kootenay Region of British Columbia |
| title_fullStr | Breaking Down Barriers: Planning for a Gender Diverse Mining Workforce in the Kootenay Region of British Columbia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Breaking Down Barriers: Planning for a Gender Diverse Mining Workforce in the Kootenay Region of British Columbia |
| title_short | Breaking Down Barriers: Planning for a Gender Diverse Mining Workforce in the Kootenay Region of British Columbia |
| title_sort | breaking down barriers planning for a gender diverse mining workforce in the kootenay region of british columbia |
| topic | mining gender workforce development kootenays british columbia rural |
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