When women win, the world wins
It is not enough merely to pursue equality in the laws on the books. What we need are comprehensive sets of policies and institutions — as well as a transformation of cultural and social norms in many countries — to empower women to become successful workers, entrepreneurs, and leaders. File picture
In May 1988, Alejandra Arévalo became the first female geologist to enter an underground mine in Chile. In doing so, she defied a popular myth: that a woman brings bad luck by venturing into a mine.
She also broke the law. At the time, Chilean women were forbidden to work in underground mining or in any other job that “exceeded their strength or put at risk their physical or moral condition.” Arévalo’s defiance helped spark a revolution. By 1993, the restrictions on women in mining had been abolished; and by 2022, women represented 15% of the Chilean mining workforce, a threefold increase since 2007.
