Lydia loves her career in mining, but very few of her role models look like her
Lydia Gentle has loved every minute of the 17 years she has spent working in the resources sector. Key points: One in five workers in Queensland’s resource industry are now women, up from 6 per cent in 2006 The sector is still far from the Queensland Resource Council’s target of 30 per cent female labor force participation by 2026 Not everyone agrees that targets are the solution to achieving a diverse workforce But it’s not easy cutting his teeth in a male-dominated industry. “When I started, even when I was at university, I was probably one of the few women out of over 100 men,” Ms Gentle said. “I didn’t realize it was a male-dominated industry when I started studying, but I learned it very quickly.” She said the lack of visibility of women in the industry, especially in leadership positions, made her feel out of place. “I don’t really have any female role models I can respect,” she said. “It’s very difficult to be what you can’t see. Ms Gentle said the lack of women in industry lea