Advertisement

St Barbara sticks to gender pledge

Reducing the gender pay gap has attracted plenty of motherhood statements from the corporate world, but St Barbara Mines' commitment has already produced results.

In 2007, the WA miner set a goal to reduce the difference to 15 per cent by 2018.

About four years before its deadline, the miner has practically met the target with a 15.1 per cent differential, well below the 26 per cent WA average.

For its efforts, the WA miner has been nominated as a finalist in the 2014 Women in Resources Awards, in the category honouring outstanding company initiatives.

The Chamber of Minerals and Energy, which runs the awards, claims it is one of several initiatives seeking to improve the status and opportunities for the sector's 19 per cent female workforce and to entice more women into resources.

As well as improving wages, St Barbara has committed to increasing the proportion of women in its workforce and on its board, to 25 per cent, by mid 2018.

Again, it has almost reached its 2007 goal with women now comprising 24 per cent of its workforce and 20 per cent of its board.

Its final target is to increase the number of women returning to work after maternity leave to at least two-thirds by the middle of this year. Its annual report claims it has made "good progress" on this front.

The awards, run through the Chamber of Minerals and Energy, will also recognise outstanding female resources workers, as well as people who have championed their cause. Finalists will be honoured at a function on March 7.