Mining Companies and Women’s Soccer Players Bet on Equity

Priscila Hidalgo, a forward for Club de Deportes Antofagasta, is very happy and excited about returning to the field and in-person training. In her last year of high school, the 17 year old balances her class load with her true passion, soccer. Born and raised in María Elena, she proudly claims her  “pampina” status. She is a committed member of the “Pumas” team, made up of young female athletes from the Antofagasta Region who receive support from SQM’s Club Deportivo Salar as part of its commitment to the inclusive development of this sport.

Motivated and focused on her performance, Priscila says that, although she prefers to live in the present, like any athlete she hopes to go as far as possible and perhaps even get to “wear Chile’s national team jersey.” She underscores the support she receives from her family as “fundamental.” “They are always there, which motivates me to follow my dreams,” remarked the young player.

She is also grateful for the commitment from SQM, where her father happens to work. “This support is very important because they give us equipment to be able to train, which keeps us motivated to continue improving and perform better at our upcoming games,” she said.

Carlos Díaz, Vice President of Potassium and Lithium Operations for SQM, emphasizes: “One of our priorities as a company is to promote and work for gender equity, which is part of our Sustainability, Ethics and Human Rights Policy. Today women represent 17% of SQM’s employees, which exceeds the national average for the mining industry. We still have a lot left to do in this area, but we are challenging and rebuilding the internal culture, strengthening integration under equal conditions and rights for women in mining and collaborating on social initiatives that drive women’s development in non-traditional areas. At the company, we have set for ourselves the goal of continuing to expand our female workforce, with concrete targets and, also to support the CDA Pumas through our Club Deportivo Salar for the second straight year. They have great management and a nationally top-ranked team that uses the same jersey design as the men’s team. We are making headway, but there is still a lot to be done.”

Claudio Castillo Barraza, president of Club Deportivo SQM Salar, explained how this project began in 2020 but then had to be modified because of the pandemic. Based on the current public health conditions, they resumed in-person training and are hoping to be able to hold more practices on the field to be able to perform better at games.

“We are very proud when players are daughters or sisters of SQM employees or people related to the Company who are grateful for the opportunity they are being given. Our team is 100% regional, with most of the players living or studying in Antofagasta, María Elena, Calama or Tocopilla and we are going to add some young athletes from Taltal. This partnership arose to create space for sports. A while back it was for boys, and now it’s the girls’ turn. Now we are betting on men and women alike so everyone has access to sports and in order to contribute to equity, reach more people and build a better, more equal society,” concludes Castillo.