Like a Boss: Women in Trade Jobs

Construction workers perform manual labor at construction sites and may operate a variety of power tools. Duties include digging trenches, erecting scaffolding, and cleaning and preparing construction sites.

Facts About Women in Construction

• As of 2020, women make up just 9% of construction industry workers in the U.S.
• Emily Roebling is known as the “first woman field engineer” who executed the building of the Brooklyn Bridge in the late 1800s.
• Women make $32,164 annually, while men make $35,966 as construction workers.

Required Education and Skills for This Profession

Construction workers typically have a high school diploma and receive on-the-job training lasting anywhere from a few months to one year. Some states may require construction workers to have a CDL or crane license.

Construction workers should be physically fit and have good hand-eye coordination, strong mechanical skills, and the ability to work at heights.

Challenges for Women in Construction

• Safety: Most construction equipment is designed for men’s hands and bodies. Manufacturers can design equipment better suited for a woman’s size.
• Discrimination: Forty percent of women construction workers have experienced gender discrimination. Managers and company owners can make sure to offer women the same opportunities as men.
• Lack of support: The shortage of women in the field translates to a lack of female mentorship and difficulty advancing their careers. Having more women in construction, especially in leadership roles, can help.
• Bathrooms: Portable toilets pose a difficult issue for women who have specific hygiene needs. Having a disability-friendly portable restroom would help solve this issue.

Resources for Women in Construction

The National Association of Women in Construction provides education, opportunities, and networking for women construction professionals.

Women Construction Owners & Executives USA advocates for better legislation and opportunities for businesswomen in construction.

Professional Women in Construction is a national non-profit association that supports and connects women in construction-related industries.

Groundbreaking Women in Construction is a conference and organization that supports current and future women leaders in construction.

Electricians follow National Electrical Code regulations while installing, repairing, and maintaining electrical systems to provide lighting and power to buildings.

Facts About Women Electricians

• Women comprise 3% of all electricians in the U.S.
• In 1978, President Carter’s CETA program paid unions to take in women and minorities. This was when many women began entering the field to become electricians.
• Women average $45,195 per year, while men make around $53,303 as electricians.

Required Education and Skills for This Profession

A high school diploma or equivalent is necessary. Electricians usually learn the trade through an apprenticeship, and most states require electricians to be licensed.

Electricians should be able to distinguish colors, have excellent customer service and troubleshooting skills, and be in good physical condition.

Challenges for Women Electricians

• Sexism: Some women electricians report experiencing male coworkers offering to do work for them. Employers need to communicate to their male employees that women shouldn’t be treated differently.
• Learning from men: Because men have a different center of gravity than women, it can be harder for women to learn how to use specific electrical tools without focusing entirely on upper body strength.

Resources for Women Electricians

Women in NECA is a women’s committee within the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) that supports and educates women in the electrical field.

Women in Trades With Amy the Sparky is a YouTube channel where Amy Barratt-Singh talks about her experiences as a woman electrician.

Firefighters contain and put out fires and respond to emergencies related to the environment, property, and life.

Facts About Women Firefighters

• About 62,000 women work as firefighters in the U.S.
• Sandra Forcier is considered the first professional female firefighter. She was hired as a public safety officer in 1973 and fought fires during her career.
• Women firefighters earn approximately $62,394 and men earn $71,743.

Required Education and Skills for This Profession

Firefighters must have a high school diploma or equivalent. Fire departments may also want firefighters to have additional qualifications such as an emergency medical technician (EMT) certification.

Firefighters should have great physical stamina and strength, excellent communication skills, and the ability to handle extremely stressful situations.

Challenges for Women Firefighters

• Equipment: Firefighter gear and uniforms are often designed for men. Manufacturers need to create attire better suited for women’s bodies.
• Sexual harassment: Women may face skepticism over their abilities or be subject to harassment and discrimination. Employers can create a supportive environment and take harassment complaints seriously.
• Working conditions: Because shifts often require extended time away from family, fire departments should ensure working parents have good childcare options.

Resources for Women Firefighters

Women in Fire is a professional association supporting female firefighters through mentorship, education, and career opportunities.

Presley Pritchard is a female firefighter, paramedic, and athlete who became a social media icon after she sued her fire department for terminating her over controversial Instagram pictures.

International Association of Women in Fire & Emergency Services provides women firefighters with education, advocacy, and support.

Freight and over-the-road (OTR) drivers transport goods across long distances. They typically operate large commercial vehicles with a weight of more than 26,000 pounds.

Facts About Women in Trucking

• Women hold just 6.6% of truck driving jobs in the U.S. As of 2018, there were 234,234 professional female drivers in the United States—an increase of 68% since 2010.
• The first female truck driver was Luella Bates, hired in 1918 while much of the male workforce was fighting in World War I. After the war, Bates decided she loved the work and stayed on as the first woman to receive her truck driving license in New York.
• Women truck drivers, on average, make $32,234 annually, while men make $47,377.

Required Education and Skills for This Profession

Professional truck drivers usually have a high school diploma or equivalent, attend a truck driving school, and earn a commercial driver’s license (CDL).

Commercial drivers need to have at least 20/40 vision and a 70-degree field of vision in each eye, along with the ability to see color. Federal regulations stipulate that a professional driver must hear a forced whisper in one ear at 5 feet away. Drivers should also have excellent hand-eye coordination and be in good physical health.

Challenges for Women in Trucking

• Lack of female trainers: Because there aren’t many female trainers, women truck drivers often spend weeks training with a man, which can feel intimidating.
• Sexual harassment: Women truck drivers do face harassment from male peers. Companies should take harassment complaints seriously and thoroughly investigate them.
• Equipment: Trucks are generally designed for men, and manufacturers need to better design equipment to accommodate an average woman’s size.
• Safety: Companies and truck stops must work together to ensure safety for drivers, especially at night, by increasing the presence of security guards and proper lighting.

Resources for Women in Trucking

Women In Trucking Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing greater gender diversity to the trucking industry.

Real Women In Trucking supports female drivers with continuing education, advocacy, and networking.

Social media influencers like Clarissa Rankin and Tierra Allen (Sassy Trucker) provide an inside look into the profession from a woman’s perspective.

Automotive mechanics inspect and repair cars and small trucks. Diesel service technicians work on buses, trucks, and any vehicle with a diesel engine.

Facts About Women Mechanics

• Approximately 9% of mechanics are women.
• Around 4% of diesel mechanics are women.
• Wilma Russey was the first female taxi driver in New York, and she was also a skilled mechanic.
• Women earn, on average, $37,022, and men earn $40,044 as mechanics.

Required Education and Skills for This Profession

Employers usually prefer mechanics to receive training in automotive technology from a vocational school. Employers may require certification from the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence.

Mechanics should have good dexterity, be physically fit and personable, and understand how engine parts function.

Challenges for Women Mechanics

• Sexism: Women working on cars face discrimination from co-workers who may view them as less capable or competent than men. To combat this, companies should educate staff on the importance of treating women mechanics as equals.

Resources for Women Mechanics

Women in Auto Care offers opportunities and mentorship to women in the automotive industry.

Patrice Banks is an automotive influencer and the CEO of Girls Auto Clinic, a business with a mission to help women learn to fix their own cars.

Women Who Wrench is a Facebook community for women in the automotive industry.

Postal Service mail carriers collect and deliver mail for the U.S. Postal Service.

Facts About Women Postal Service Drivers

• Women make up 45% of postal service workers in the U.S.
• Sarah Black was the first woman to transport mail. She began her career in 1845 and made $48 per year!
• Women make $52,770 from carrying mail, while men make around $60,980.

Required Education and Skills for This Profession

Mail carriers must be 18 years old or 16 years old with a high school diploma. If driving, postal workers need to receive a passing grade on their road test.

Mail carriers should have an excellent grasp of the English language, be physically fit, and have good customer service skills.

Challenges for Women Postal Service Drivers

• Pay gap: Women experience a wage gap of 10.4% in the Postal Service. Government advocates can help female postal workers achieve fair pay through lobbying efforts.
• Career advancement: Women make up a good portion of the Postal Service industry but hold fewer elected positions in government. Greater representation of women in leadership roles can help change that.

Resources for Women Postal Service Drivers

APWU POWER, Post Office Women for Equal Rights is a committee in the American Postal Workers Union (APWU) that advocates for women.

Welders can work in a wide variety of industries fusing metal parts manually or with machinery. Using a heat source, such as an electrical current, welders bond metals to join pipes, steel beams, and other metal components.

Facts About Women in Welding

• Women make up 5% of the welding industry in the U.S.
• Sarah A. Erwin was one of the first female welders. She worked in industrial ship construction in the electric welding department at Hog Island shipyard in 1918. As a “test” subject, she did so well that they opened job opportunities to 30 more women.
• Women welders make around $31,859, compared to men’s $44,577.

Required Education and Skills for This Profession

Welders typically have a high school diploma and on-the-job training. Some professionals earn certificates in welding.

Welders should be detail-oriented, in good physical condition, and have excellent hand-eye coordination, spatial orientation skills, and agility to operate welding equipment.

Challenges for Women in Welding

• Sexual harassment: Companies should create an environment where women feel comfortable making harassment complaints.

Resources for Women in Welding

Women Who Weld is a non-profit organization that teaches women how to weld and how to find employment.

Weld Like A Girl uses welding as a form of empowerment to help boost self-esteem and wellness for women and girls.

Lashanna Lintamo is a social media influencer hoping to increase the representation of women and minorities in the welding industry.

Carmen Electrode is a welding industry mascot that aims to inspire, motivate, and empower women welders through a blog and social media.