BHP BILLITON has announced a plan to make half its workforce women in the next nine years.

A BHP Billiton spokesman said about 25% of the workforce at BMA Daunia and Caval Ridge operations in the Bowen Basin were women, which had "brought a new culture to those operations” but was not enough.

"At the current rate, if we do nothing, it will take us 30 years just to achieve 30% female representation - clearly more must be done, and will be done,'' the spokesman said.

"The commercial case for action is as compelling as the ethical and moral case for action - the more inclusive and diverse workplaces perform better operationally, financially and most importantly are safer.”

The spokesman said the global company's most inclusive and diverse operations outperformed the company's average on a range of safety, productivity and culture measures.

He said 25% of the company's board of directors were women, as well as 23% of other executive roles and 20% of senior and other management roles.

A woman recently employed by BMA at a Bowen Basin mine told the Daily Mercury said the 50% quota didn't make sense as "the application rate for these jobs is probably only around 20% female”.

"I'm all for more females in the workplace but at the moment the people who are skilled and qualified for these jobs are predominantly male,” she said.

"If you want more females it doesn't start at the hiring process it needs to start well before that to get more females qualified and applying for the jobs in the first place.”

The woman said that "at the moment” women were being hired at BHP Billiton just to meet gender targets.

On Facebook, Daily Mercury readers were divided on the topic of gender quotas.

"If you are qualified to do the job that's should be the only criteria not gender,” said Dianne Cameron.

Tracey Woods commented: "I think it will help BHP reduce its wages bill, as they don't pay the same for (men) as they do for women.”

Some women were supportive of the move, commenting "Great news!” and "Think that's wonderful”.

Michael Pinyon noted that having more women at mine sites "Might clean up the foul language”.