At 14 per cent, the representation of women working in the mining industry is the lowest among primary industry categories in Canada. Despite an increase in research and industry commitment to advance and retain women in the mining industry, the gender gap in mining organisations persists.This paper is based upon a recent Canadian survey of 163 highly qualified women (HQW) working in the mining sector. For the purpose of this research, HQW were defined as women with a Bachelor's degree or higher. This research sought to identify career progression and retention patterns of women who in theory have the educational qualifications to advance into positions of leadership in mining operations. We considered why women's advancement in mining organisations has stalled; examined the career development pathways of HQW; and investigated the interactions of mining workplace culture on HQW's career development and retention within the Canadian mining industry. Resultsindicated two distinct career pathway trends for HQW. The specialist'; a career characterised by multiple professional scientific and technical positions, and the corporate'; a career characterised by professional administrative roles and roles in mid-level management. It was found that neither corporates' nor specialists' systematically progressed into senior management and executive roles. These findings suggest that HQW's careers in mining are stalled, despite a strong indication by respondents of interest in their professional career advancement. With regards toworkplaceculture, respondents indicated that blatant forms of gender discrim-ination have been reduced in mining workplaces; however, exclusion from informal networks, implicit bias and subtler forms of workplace discrimination persist. Consistent with previous mining sector research, improving work-life balance, work flexibility and mentorship were found as key drivers for HQW to advance and remain in the industry.CITATION:Hughes, C, Scoble, M and Roberts, M, 2012. Where are the women? Highly qualified women in the mining industry, in Proceedings International Mine Management 2012, pp 23-34 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).