Breaking Gender Barriers: Women Working Trades

More and more women are turning to trade schools, thanks to splendid work prospects. Trade occupations are in high demand and of late, gender equality awareness has also contributed to the trend.

Another reason is that there’s a considerable skills gap, especially in the construction industry. With its rapid expansion, the industry is in need of skilled workers continually.

Choosing the Right Trade

Women in trade services have many options to choose from. The demand is high and training programs are diverse.

That’s why every woman can choose a career in line with her interests rather than trade an unsatisfactory job for a high salary.

For women who enjoy hands-on work, suitable solutions may include carpentry, plumbing, electrical work, and HVAC systems. For women enjoying outdoor work, there’s roofing, masonry, and landscaping. For women enjoying indoor work, options include cabinetmaking and electronics technicians.

Optimal trades for women with mechanical skills include welding, auto mechanics, and machinists. Landscaping, horticulture, and interior design are perfect for women who enjoy design. Finally, there are maintenance technicians and industrial maintenance roles for women who enjoy problem-solving.

Typically, the process starts with assessing individual strengths and choosing the right training program.

Training Programs for Women Tradies

There are various apprenticeships programs that can help women build practical skills and experience. Typical learning paths include the following options:

•         Hands-on learning (learning by doing)
•         Structured training (a combination of classroom instruction and supervised on-the-job training)
•         Mentorship
•         Industry certification

There are also pre-apprenticeship programs, which are designed to provide women with core skills, including introduction to the trades, basic skill training, soft skill development plans, career path guidance, and job placement assistance.

There’s a Place for Everyone in the Trade Industry

The trade industry is always on the lookout for new workers. There’s literally a place for everyone.

However, while this may sound splendid, it is important to keep in mind that each trade requires various specializations. For example, carpenters may specialize in residential, commercial, and industrial carpentry. Each of these branches has specific requirements.

Specializations in general trades are also an option, but they pay less than niche-specific trades. Just a little something to consider.

Assessing Regional Needs

Different regions have different demands for specific trades, which is only natural. There are numerous factors influencing demand, including regional infrastructure projects.

Areas with strong economic development may be in need of additional HVAC and industrial maintenance professionals. Welders and electricians may be a welcome addition in regions with significant energy sectors. Big infrastructure projects need civil engineers, heavy equipment operators, and steelworkers. And so on, and so forth.

Understanding local demand for trades can help women choose among multiple professions they may be interested in. This is a personal decision, to be sure, but trades in high demand offer stable employment prospects.

It is not rare to find contractors who offer apprenticeship opportunities because they lack a workforce, so this is another opportunity to learn new skills.

A brief look at local job boards will help you assess local demand. Contacting trade organizations and employers is another way to gather information.

How Grave Is Gender Bias?

Unfortunately, gender bias can sometimes prove a rather difficult obstacle to handle. According to Professor Nigel Parton, who undertook research in Australia, “while most industry sectors in the Australian workforce have consistently improved regarding the participation of women, the construction industry remains an exception.”

Mr. Parton has discovered that “the proportion of women employed in the construction industry has steadily declined,” amounting to only 1% of the trades and technician positions in the Australian construction industry.

“Biases consisted of challenges to credibility; characteristics of the work environment comprising support, amenities, conditions of employment, career development, and access to meaningful work; gender stereotypes about women’s work roles; and objectification.”

Source: “Gender Bias in the Australian Construction Industry: Women’s Experience in Trades and Semi-Skilled Roles”, Nigel Parton

The situation is similar in the UK. A study undertaken by Rated People has uncovered that:

“(…) Well over a third of tradeswomen (39%) aren’t taken seriously because of their gender. One in seven (15%) have had personal safety concerns when working, and almost one in 10 (9%) say they’ve had customers who won’t let them work on a job when they see they’re a woman.”

Source: “1 in 3 Tradeswomen Experience Gender Discrimination, New Study Finds,” The Electrical Times

With these grim insights, we arrive at the situation in the U.S.

According to a recent study, “women represent just 3% of all skilled building trade jobs in the U.S., a percentage that has barely changed in almost 40 years, despite hiring goals and anti-discrimination laws.”

 “Once in apprenticeship programs, women experience higher attrition rates compared to men, citing issues related to lack of familiarity with tools, isolation, and discrimination (2, 5, 6). For certain trades—including electricians, laborers, and plumbers/pipefitters/steamfitters—close to half of women canceled their apprenticeship agreements. For women carpenters the cancellation rate was 70%.”

Source: “Working Safely in the Trades as Women: A Qualitative Exploration and Call for Women-Supportive Interventions,” Front Public Health. 2021; 9: 781572

The concern over a “future shortage of skilled” needs to be addressed in order to increase women's participation in construction, the study concludes.

It would seem that the construction industry is not the best choice for women who decide to become tradies from scratch. Fortunately, there are other occupations that may prove friendlier. However, gender bias is still a huge issue, so if you’re feeling uncertain about where to start, perhaps begin your search from this perspective.