Gendered livelihoods in the artisanal mining sector in the Great Lakes Region

ABSTRACT

Using data collected from a survey administered at seven mine sites in Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Rwanda, this paper examines differences in the livelihoods and economic well-being of women and men involved in artisanal and small-scale mining. To provide a deeper context, the results from the survey are combined with findings from other methodological approaches. The results provide evidence that men have more experience in the mining sector and that men earn more both at mine sites and at activities not conducted at mine sites. The evidence also highlights the need for research on the artisanal mining sector to be gender sensitive, to yield policies that improve the economic well-being of all those reliant on the sector.

RÉSUMÉ

En utilisant les données receuiillies dans le cadre d’une enquête conduite sur sept sites miniers en Ouganda, en République démocratique du Congo et au Rwanda, cet article examine les différences dans les moyens de subsistance et le bien-être économique des femmes et des hommes impliqués dans l’exploitation minière artisanale et à petite échelle. Afin de fournir un contexte plus approfondi, les résultats de l’enquête sont combinés avec les résultats obtenus grâce à d’autres approches méthodologiques. Les résultats montrent que les hommes ont plus d’expérience dans le secteur minier et qu’ils gagnent plus d’argent à la fois sur les sites miniers et dans les activités qu’ils n’y ont pas menées. Les résultats soulignent également la nécessité pour la recherche sur le secteur de l’exploitation minière artisanale d’être sensibilisée au genre en vue de l’élaboration de politiques d’amélioration du bien-être économique de tous ceux qui dépendent de ce secteur.

KEYWORDS:

• Artisanal small-scale mining
• gender
• livelihoods
• work
• economic well-being

MOTS-CLÉS:

• Exploitation minière artisanale et à petite échelle
• genre
• moyens de subsistance
• travail
• bien-être économique

Acknowledgments

The field research was carried out by researchers with DRASPAC, Women in/and Mining Organization (WIAMO, Rwanda), and from ARED and RIO in DRC. Generous financial support came under the Growth and Economic Opportunities for Women (GrOW) initiative. GrOW is a multi-funder partnership with the UK Government’s Department for International Development, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the International Development Research Centre, Canada.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. A location licence is a licence for prospecting and mining operations by methods which do not involve substantial expenditure or the use of specialized technology.

2. A shadow husband is a husband of convenience whereby the woman sets the terms of the relationship and the man names his price.

3. To calculate the percentage of the DHS sample with more than a primary education, the categories secondary and more than secondary were combined.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the International Development Research Centre grant #107820-001.

Notes on contributors

Jennifer Stewart

Jennifer Stewart is an associate professor in the School of Public Policy and Administration at Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada. Her research interests are focussed in the areas of labour economics and health economics, particularly where these fields overlap.

Richard Kibombo

Richard Kibombo is a senior research fellow at the Development Research and Social Policy Analysis Centre, Kampala – Uganda. He was formerly a senior researcher at the Makerere University Institute of Social Research. His research interests are mainly in the areas of reproductive health, education, and women’s empowerment which he has written about widely.

L. Pauline Rankin

L. Pauline Rankin is a political scientist with an appointment as a professor in the School of Indigenous and Canadian Studies at Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada. Her research spans various aspects of gender and politics, with specific interest in domestic and global applications of gender mainstreaming and gender activism.