Skilled trades, such as plumbing, welding and electrical work, can offer a steady and sometimes lucrative career. Workers in these fields are often in demand and unionized. As these jobs cannot be outsourced, careers in these fields can frequently be recession-proof. And although women in the workforce now have significantly more career options than their mothers and grandmothers did, many skilled trades are still male-dominated. For example, only around 10% of welders in the Milwaukee area are women, estimates Sue Silverstein, welding instructor and program chair at Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC). “There are still these social norms,” she said.
However, the number of women entering trades such as welding and carpentry has increased over the years, according to Dorothy Walker, MATC interim dean of technology and applied sciences. Walker said that, because many women are now aware of the salaries and benefits skilled trades can offer, more are enrolling in degree, diploma and apprenticeship programs. “If you’re going to work hard, you might as well work hard and have a good salary,” she said. “These are areas where women can be successful—they are recession-proof, stable careers.”
Walker, a former welder and welding instructor herself, initially decided to pursue the trade because of its attractive pay and job opportunities in the field.
A single mother at the time, having a job that enabled her to support her family was important. Walker began teaching welding at MATC in 1979 and eventually worked her way up to interim dean. Both Walker and Silverstein said women can excel in trades such as welding. Many women have good manual dexterity and pay close attention to detail—qualities that help in the classroom and on the job, according to Silverstein. Walker also noted several events that help bring awareness of the school’s trade offerings to female high school students and younger girls.
Heavy Metal Tours allows both male and female high school students to explore MATC’s Energy Conservation and Advanced Manufacturing Center at the college’s Oak Creek campus. As part of the tour, students also visit local manufacturing companies such as Krones, Inc. In addition, MATC invites Girl Scouts to tour the campus and participate in hands-on trade activities, such as changing car oil in an automotive classroom or building a birdhouse in a carpentry classroom. MATC will also be offering two makerspace workshops, for middle school and high school girls, this summer—along with a week-long robotics camp for high school girls.
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Breaking Stereotypes
“That is a huge hit,” said Nutan Amrute, coordinator of nontraditional occupations at the college. She added that experiences such as these help young students change their perspectives of tradespeople and scientists being male. “We try to break the stereotype.” Female instructors—themselves experienced journeypersons—teach welding, sheet metal, tool and die and other courses at MATC. “We consistently hire women instructors so we can attract and work with more women,” said Walker. Although more women have chosen careers in skilled trades, many feel that they have to work doubly hard as their male counterparts to command respect on the job.
Kate Kilp, a framing carpenter at Side by Side Construction based in Fond du Lac, Wis., agreed, although she feels some take it too far: “Sometimes, women try to prove themselves too much, overcompensate and act bossy.” Although she is the only female carpenter in her workplace, Kilp said she has been treated well by her employer. “They’re really nice. I haven’t had any negative experiences so far, although I was expecting that,” she said.
Kilp noted that men working in other trades tend to be surprised to see her on job sites, and she has been the recipient of challenging stares. “They want to know what brought me there; they assume I’m going to say that my dad was a carpenter or something like that.” Kilp encouraged women entering the field to go in without preconceived notions of how they will be treated by male coworkers. “What helped me is that I showed up every day, did my job and worked hard. People respected me for that,” she said.
Denise Tyson, who’s been working as an electrician for nearly 30 years, said women may have misconceptions about her line of work. “You don’t have to be a big guy. Women can definitely do this job,” she said. Tyson added that much of the job requires brainpower rather than physical strength. “Women have a right to these jobs and the skills for them,” she said. Acting professionally in the workplace is paramount to being taken seriously, according to Tyson. “I watch what I say at work and am very careful about joking around with my co-workers,” she said.
It’s her achievements, knowledge and specialized skills that have helped her command respect from men working in her profession, she says. Now a master electrician, Tyson emphasizes the importance of the designation and receiving additional education in her field of work when it comes to enhancing professional credibility. “Having the master’s credential really helps,” she said. “It evens out the playing field.”
Kimberly Kotvis, a service consultant at Hyundai in Milwaukee, was the only woman in her automotive technology associate degree program at MATC, but she said she didn’t receive any special treatment because of her gender. “It was a fantastic experience,” she said. “Teachers were tough but fair.” Apart from one negative experience, Kotvis hasn’t experienced discrimination from customers in her line of work. Rather, people—women in particular—are surprised and even pleased to have a woman working on their cars. “A lot of women seem to trust women more with their cars. They get excited when they see a woman tech,” she says.
Kotvis did feel that she had to prove her worth to her male coworkers, but that her hard work and determination have earned her respect. Automotive repair is a field that’s ever-evolving and always in demand. As she says, “Between hybrid cars, touch screens and electrical [systems], you’re always learning new things.”
Ann Goggins has been working as a tool and die maker for Harley-Davidson in Milwaukee for more than two decades. When she first started in her position, she said, her male coworkers didn’t quite know how to act around her. “They were quiet, kind of uneasy. I think HR went in there and read them the riot act before I got there. It took them a long time to warm up,” she recalled. A maintenance toolmaker, she makes fixtures for motorcycles such as connecting rods and cylinder heads. Most people, she said, are either surprised or confused by the tool and die job title. “They think I make screwdrivers or something,” said Goggins.
With manufacturing jobs being shipped overseas, the tool and die industry is less robust than it used to be, according to Goggins. Also, fewer young people are entering the trades right after high school, as many attend four-year universities. “It’s a shame, because you can make good money,” she said. Apprenticeships also allow students to be paid while attending classes, typically one day a week. “There aren’t many careers where you can do that.”
Thick Skin Needed
After more than 30 years working in a traditionally male-dominated occupation—the Tree Division of the City of Milwaukee Forestry Department—Deb Stamp has learned to deal with a lot. From extreme weather conditions and other environmental hazards to some unenlightened male coworkers, her profession requires that she be resilient. “You grow a thick skin after a while,” she said. “There are people that believe women shouldn’t be doing this kind of work.”
Stamp, who has been a crew leader for around 20 years, said typical job duties consist of trimming and planting trees throughout the city and snowplowing in the winter. The training process for new hires is arduous (climbing tall trees is required), but Stamp said the program is one of the best in the nation. As the forestry department is integral to snow removal and the jobs cannot be shipped overseas, Stamp feels that this career path is pretty stable. She advises women entering the forestry field to stick with the training, even when it gets tough. “Do everything they ask of you and stick it out,” she said.
Working in a trade can be the key to financial independence, Silverstein said. She added that women in trades need not be concerned with receiving pay equal to their male coworkers: “You make the exact same amount of money as a man.” Peer pressure in high school may be a reason fewer women go into trades, but Silverstein is hoping that will change in the future. “Millennials are a generation of change. They are more accepting.”
