Men living within 20 kilometers of an active mine are significantly more likely to tolerate aggression and refuse to ask for help.
April 25, 2026
Original Paper
Mining and Traditional Masculinity Norms
SSRN · 6641863
The Takeaway
Industrial environments do more than just provide jobs. They physically reshape the social norms of the surrounding community. Proximity to extractive industries like mining causes a measurable increase in adherence to traditional masculinity. This shift occurs regardless of a man's education level or whether he even works at the mine himself. The culture of the industry leaks into the town, creating a social climate where help-seeking is seen as a weakness.
From the abstract
This paper examines the effect of proximity to mining activity on men’s adherence to traditional masculinity norms. Combining geocoded survey data with detailed spatial information on mining activity across 37 countries, we employ an instrumental variable strategy that exploits exogenous variation in geological mineral endowments and global commodity prices to address endogeneity concerns. We find that residing within 20 km of an active mine increases conformity to traditional masculinity norms