Women face bans on research underground — here’s how to modernize the system
Nature, Published online: 27 August 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02679-y In many countries, female engineers are barred from entering deep mines to carry out studies. Differentiating risks can increase access while protecting safety.
When the reporter first entered the field of research over a decade ago, female academics were not present in the mining-engineering department at Central South University in Changsha, China. It was only this year that the department appointed her as its first female professor. While this progress is welcome, it highlights that expectations surrounding who can pursue careers in mining have only recently started to evolve.
Written by urgent.news from Nature's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
