Sundaymail Editor
Nyaradzo Mutonhori
AS Zimbabwe commemorates 45 years of independence, this milestone offers an opportunity to reflect on the role and status of women in shaping the nation’s progress.
While significant strides have been made — most notably through the 2013 Constitution that enshrines gender equality and mandates equal representation — systemic barriers continue to hinder women’s full participation in the economy.
Despite a strong legal foundation, the implementation of these frameworks is often undermined by entrenched patriarchal norms and customary laws.
These challenges are especially evident in the informal economy, where more than 60 percent of Zimbabwean women are employed.
In sectors like artisanal and small-scale gold mining, women face exploitative wages, hazardous working conditions and persistent inequality.
They earn significantly less than their male counterparts and often struggle to access land, credit and other resources necessary to transition into the formal economy.
Although the Government has recognised the need to integrate informal workers — such as those in artisanal mining — into the formal sector, women continue to be sidelined in policy and practice.
This exclusion is troubling given the critical importance of the mining sector to Zimbabwe’s economic recovery.
Mining contributed an estimated 16 percent to gross domestic product (GDP) in 2023-2024, with gold accounting for 35 percent of that figure.
Artisanal and small-scale miners delivered approximately 70 percent of the 36,48 tonnes of gold received by Fidelity Gold Refinery last year, highlighting the sector’s vast contribution to export earnings and livelihoods across rural Zimbabwe.
Over 300 000 people are employed in artisanal mining, 11 percent of whom are women.
For these women, mining provides a vital income stream that supports entire households, yet their contributions remain largely invisible and their needs are rarely prioritised.
Women miners are disproportionately confined to the lowest-paying roles — such as panning and washing — where they face heightened health risks, particularly from mercury exposure.
Even those who own mining claims must contend with gendered power imbalances and limited access to credit, finance and technical training.
Few women are organised into cooperatives, leaving them further marginalised in formalisation efforts, yet the potential for change is significant.
Dismantling the structural barriers that limit women’s participation in artisanal mining could unlock a powerful engine for inclusive growth.
When women gain access to technical training, secure legal recognition for their operations and obtain financing, they not only improve their own livelihoods but also contribute to safer, more productive mining practices.
These benefits ripple far beyond individual miners.
Empowered women invest in their families, sending children to school, improving household nutrition and boosting savings.
This, in turn, stimulates local economies and strengthens community resilience.
Programmes like IMPACT’s Digging for Equality have already demonstrated what is possible. Through technical support and skills training, women miners increased their incomes by more than 60 percent over three years.
Their investments in land and housing also helped grow local economies and expand the tax base for local authorities.
Building on these successes, the planetGOLD Zimbabwe project aligns with Government priorities to create a more inclusive and responsible mining sector.
The initiative focuses on three key pillars:
Skills development — The project trains women in improved, mercury-free mining techniques, equipping them with the knowledge and confidence to increase their income and engage more fully in the sector.
Formalisation support: Women receive assistance to register their mining operations, making them eligible for financing opportunities such as the Government’s US$10 million fund for artisanal and small-scale miners.
Financial literacy and access: Training in financial management enhances women’s creditworthiness, enabling them to invest in better equipment and adopt safer, more sustainable practices.
Together, these interventions form a comprehensive strategy for promoting gender equity in Zimbabwe’s artisanal gold mining sub-sector.
By investing in women, the sector becomes more inclusive, productive and resilient.
As Zimbabwe looks to the future, achieving inclusive growth will require deliberate action to empower women miners.
They are not just beneficiaries of development — they are key drivers of it.
Making gender equity in mining a national priority is not only a matter of justice but a smart investment in Zimbabwe’s sustainable economic transformation.
Nyaradzo Mutonhori is a Pan-African environmental lawyer and project manager of the planetGOLD Zimbabwe project, a United Nations-backed initiative aimed at reducing mercury use in artisanal and small-scale gold mining in Zimbabwe.
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