SQM and almost 30 institutions belonging to the National Women in Mining Working Group renewed their commitment to opening doors for women in mining.
At a ceremony held at Chile’s Presidential Palace (La Moneda), led by Ricardo Irarrázabal, Undersecretary for Mining; and Carolina Cuevas, Undersecretary for Women and Gender Equity, the company renewed its commitment to maintain best gender practices and increase the presence of women within our organization. SQM was represented at the event by our Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Performance, Natalia Pizarro.
Cuevas highlighted the important work done by the National Women in Mining Working Group, of which SQM was one of the founding members. The group brings together different companies and institutions from the sector and focuses on promoting social, workplace, education and family conditions to foster women’s participation in the industry.
“It is important to move forward on parental co-responsibility, an aspect which is key to enacting cultural change within organizations, breaking down preconceptions and unconscious biases,” commented the undersecretary.
During the ceremony, all member companies took turns signing the public commitment to this cause and receiving recognition for their work in the area.
“At SQM, inclusiveness, gender equity and diversity are issues we are working very hard on. We are proud that our percentage of female employees exceeds the industry average, but that also pushes us to continue working to increase it,” explained Natalia Pizarro. She then added that “in order to encourage women to work in mining, we must shift mindsets as to the role that men and women play at home and in their families; at SQM, we work hard to level the playing field and create more opportunities for our women, who are very professional and capable of taking on major challenges.”
Women account for more than 17% of SQM’s team, while the industry average is just above 11%.
