Abstract
Artisanal and small-scale gold mining continues to grow worldwide and is linked to gendered labor divisions, limited economic opportunities, and exposure to unsafe working conditions. Women and men often hold different roles in mining, and these gendered roles shape women's safety, health, and economic opportunities. In 2025, a descriptive phenomenological qualitative study was conducted in mining zones in western Kenya. Convenience sampling was used to recruit 64 miners, including 39 women and 25 men. Both women and men contribute to household earnings, yet the findings show clear gendered dynamics around women's income, their position in the household, and the implications of the roles they hold for power, safety, and income. Women primarily performed processing tasks such as drying, crushing, and washing ore, which exposed them to greater mercury risks and provided lower economic returns. These patterns also influenced household relationships and reinforced cultural expectations about gender. Persistent gender norms continue to shape mining work, limit women's opportunities, and concentrate them in roles that offer fewer economic gains and greater vulnerability. These gendered roles limit women's earning potential, constrain decision-making power, and place them in positions with greater physical strain and exposure to hazardous tasks.