Formalization of the Artisanal and Small-scale Mining Sector in the Andean Region: A Gendered Perspective

Abstract

This paper looks at artisanal and small-scale mining through a political ecology lens to unpack formalization efforts in the Andean region of Peru and Bolivia. It assesses how governments have prioritized more formal entities such as large-scale mining and cooperatives as a result of changing power dynamics and gaining financial revenue. Consequently, this dynamic has largely led to a failure to address needs of ASM actors, which has disproportionately affected women. Multiple angles are reviewed to articulate the complexity of women’s roles working in the ASM sector, additional burdens women face as a result of gender roles and perceptions, and subsequent inequities in the ASM sector. This paper further explores the unintended consequences that ASM actors encounter, especially women, as a result of formalization efforts. This paper concludes with lessons extrapolated from the cases of Bolivia and Peru in conjunction with a set of recommendations that seek to redress obstacles that ASM actors face in the formalization process, as well as gender specific barriers faced by women.