Resource information
Extractive industries (EI) impacts can
be positive and negative, spanning economic, social, and
environmental issues. Oil, gas, and mining projects may
create jobs, but may also consume farming land for their
use, changing livelihoods and limiting access to water,
food, and firewood. Water sources may become polluted, but
new roads may be built and communities may become
electrified. Markets may boom, but prices may rise steeply.
Given male and female relationships to each other, to the
economy, to the land, and to their communities, men and
women have very different experiences of these EI impacts,
and evidence increasingly demonstrates that in general women
are more vulnerable to the risks, with little access to the
benefits. This publication presents how and why men and
women are differently impacted by EI, exploring what the
implications are for business and development, and providing
policy and action suggestions for how to mitigate negative
impacts and amplify positive ones and how to monitor and
improve results. The publication focuses primarily on larger
scale commercial operations but also considers some of the
issues relating to artisan and small-scale mining (ASM). The
report is addressed to the stakeholders in extractive
industries, i.e., oil, gas, and mining development and
operations community members and leaders; government
officials; and managers and staff of EI companies.
