BHP Billiton aspires to have a workforce that is 50% female by 2025, in a report by The Financial Times.
CEO Andrew Mackenzie made the announcement before the company kicks off its annual meeting in London on Thursday.
BHP Billiton (NYSE:BHP), the world's largest miner, currently has 65,000 employees with just 17% being female. Senior staff bonuses are already tied to hiring more female workers. BHP admits the goal is "aspirational."
Mackenzie outlined his plans in a statement:
"I've heard the concerns: some employees think inclusion and diversity is not an area where we can make significant progress; some think women don't want to work in the mining industry, and some male employees have concerns they may be discriminated against, or that they may be overlooked for a promotion. These points have all been raised with me.
"So let me say this - the path to create a more inclusive and diverse workplace will be challenging as significant change often is. It will require us to make inclusion and diversity a greater priority. It will demand that we question our own biases when we make decisions, that we make our workplaces more flexible and that we challenge dated stereotypes about jobs in the resources industry."