Women in the trades

As I have no real idea who reads this blog I want to address this one to women who may be considering getting into the trades. The 'stars' of this entry will be the several women on our site who actually make it look easy. They are able to do this because of a mixture of personal characteristics of which having a thick skin seems to be the common element.

I think that thick skin is essential because the women here work in what is still a male dominated world known as construction. It is a tough world in that you work hard and are tired and you are a long way from your family and, and, and. As a coping mechanism we tend to use humor and that humor tends to be bawdy in nature. So if this sort of thing offends you for goodness sakes don't go into the trades!

For women with an ability to let that sort of stuff roll of their backs construction can be a very rewarding place to find one's self. For starters you are significantly out numbered by men and probably most of them will hit on you. But in the same joking manner they probably hit on each other too. Like I said before the humor is bawdy. And it is continuous.

I should also point out that accommodations are made for people who aren't as strong or as tall or as ... whatever as the men. In our trailer one of the favorites of the group is Britt. She also goes by Smurf, half-pint, Shrek and about anything else that a person can think up. She has a great sense of humor and gives it back at least as good as she gets it. But Britt isn't the tallest person in the world and even in her tiny little work boots (I want to get a pair from her to bronze and hang from my rear view mirror) she would be telling a stretcher if she claimed to be over 5 feet tall. But she works hard and pulls her weight. Let me tell you about some of her challenges and in advance say that she conquered them all.

Britt is an iron worker. As an apprentice (like me) we carry heavy loads, run to the tool crib 100 times a day, we 'pull cable' and we set up welder stations. At the moment Britt does all of these thing but not so much when we started. Instead she became the queen of the grinder. We men were told to pull cable (set up and/or chase various chords and cables usually about 6 feet in the air) and Britt was told to grind. We were told to unload heavy wire. Britt was told to grind. We carried heavy welding boxes upstairs. Britt was told to grind. And so on.

So all day long poor little Britt sat on a little wooden box and ground rough metal seams. All day long she sat with her little mask on under her faceshield and ground and ground and ground. I am guessing that about a thousand times a day she asked herself 'why the fuck am I doing this???' but to her credit she never quit. She never complained more than anyone else. She endured the aching arms and cramped hands. And she succeeded. And she got stronger. And slowly she started doing all those other things we apprentice Ironworkers do and she learned to do them well. That is probably why she is a favorite in our trailer. That and the fact that she looks like a cute little Ewok when loaded into her construction gear and when you add the voluminous safety gear to the equation.

There are other women on our site who are Ironworkers. Nicky is a foreman and is a good one. She knows her stuff, has an indomitable personality, is usually happy, and has a lot of respect on our site. And if she is angry watch out as she can spit fire from her eyes while chewing you up like a piece of gum. I don't know much else about Nicky other than the fact that she comes from a family of Ironworkers and has several relatives working onsite.

Kate is a certified Ironworker who I heard has 11 years on the tools. At the moment she is on contract with Waiward in some kind of safety capacity but I think she wants
To get back on the tools again. Ironworking does that to you. It gets into you blood and is hard to squeeze out. Kate is tall and beautiful and has a really attractive French accent but you wouldn't want to tick her off! Like Nicky she takes no shit and is formidable when crossed. Even the male Formen are afraid to cross her!

A few articles ago I mentioned our close and symbiotic relationship with the scaffolders. There are a lot of women in this trade although we only work closely with 2. Emma is a third year apprentice and comes from a long line of scaffolders. She has both a father and a brother working in the trade. Emma works in a crew with two men who are both journeymen and that fact surprised me when I found out as it looked like she was running the crew! Emma has a happy disposition and is quick to share both smiles and humor with everyone and anyone. And there is always a hint of mischief in her freckled green eyes. Emma makes her trade look easy even though it is probably not. She would be a good mentor to anyone entering the trade.

Yvonne is another scaffolder and like Emma is a third year apprentice. Like me she is past her 20s and is possibly past her 30s too. Like Britt she is not the tallest person on the planet. But she works hard and pulls her weight and does so with a smile on her face.

So basically there are some common traits found in women who are successful in the trades. The thick skin and ability to dish back the rough humor that is a daily reality. A good disposition makes it work better too. And finally the confidence to do the hard work without complaint would be another important feature. But hey, these are also the characteristics a man requires for success in the trades too! And that IS as it should be now isn't it?

There are some women who come up here for more than just the work. Some women come up looking for an mrs degree (as in becoming Mrs. Somebody or other). But these people tend to not last too long. This really is a place where only the strong survive. Male or female.