WOMEN make up less than 18 per cent of the mining workforce and most have to “sink or swim” to achieve success in the male-dominated sector.
For Uranium Equities radiation manager Sharon Paulka, a career in radiation began with modifying an X-ray machine into an X-ray absorption machine, opting for a science degree and eventually “getting her hands dirty” at the Honeymoon uranium mine in South Australia’s northeast.
Her 20 years’ hands-on experience led her to set up consulting services company Paulka Radiation & Environment in SA.
“I have always been interested in radiation, so the uranium industry was the most obvious choice,” Ms Paulka said.
“There are quite a few young women studying radiation and mining engineering; it all depends on the personality type I guess.”
