ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at women miners in Asia at a general and contextual level, mainly during the modern period. It suggests that in the majority of instances women have always participated in small scale, artisanal mining and continue to do so in many countries today. Although the main focus of the chapter is historical it attempts to find linkages with contemporary practice in developing countries. The organization of the mining process has, inevitably, a strong geological determinism. Women have been surface workers both at metalliferous and coal mines from the moment these began. Industrialization brought no initial change to the surface worker's situation ground other than to increase their workloads. Increased mechanization, such as coal sorting belts and initially increased the numbers of women employed. Mining communities worldwide tend to be isolated, reflecting the location of mineral deposits. Thus miners are often industrial workers but rural dwellers.
