want female students beginning in fields like machining to say, ‘If Alondra did it, so can I. And I can ask her questions to understand what it will take’”, says Perez. Overcoming the odds In 2023, the number of American women in the trades increased to its highest level yet: 363,651 individuals in construction and extraction jobs. This represents an appreciable gain from the 2021 figure of just over 314,000 women in the trades. The data come from the Institute of Women’s Policy Research, a D.C.-based nonprofit that seeks to close inequality gaps. The rise in numbers has come at a time when women have been looking for better wages and stability, after suffering higher job losses and more salary dips than men during the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, in 2023, tradeswomen represented only 4.3% of the trades workforce. Approximately 3.1% were carpenters, 2.9% electricians and 2.2% plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters. It is critical for organizations that recruit women to build a robust support system and foster a culture of acceptance, says Dr. Kay Ramsey, CEO of Tradeswomen, Inc. The organization is a Walnut Creek- based nonprofit that offers services to train women in the trades and meetups for them to build camaraderie. “Many women question whether they can truly succeed in these roles. Moreover, societal stereotypes often discourage women from pursuing nontraditional male-dominated professions. This lack of support can be disheartening, with some facing ridicule or resistance from family and peers when attempting to change career paths,” says Ramsey. Women who enter programs also face concerns such as a
Being a woman in the trades means working against stereotypes, in fields in which few women are present and on a schedule that makes it difficult to care for children and aging parents. Yet the rewards are great: economic stability, allowed by the high wages and benefits packages and the chance to learn and improve valuable skills. There are also opportunities to mentor other women entering one’s field. In the North Bay, organizations that train women in the trades include unions, community and four-year colleges and professional associations. These organizations are proactive and interested in outreach, but it is still difficult to recruit and retain women. Entities are countering this concern by offering programs at all levels: K-12, pre-college, college and workforce. The idea is to interest and, hopefully, graduate candidates who develop a high degree of excitement about the trades and will recruit other women. In 2018, Stephanie Hall was the only woman in the graduating class from the Redwood Empire Electrical Training Center, an apprenticeship program for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 551. “This is why in 2020, I helped start the Women’s Committee for IBEW 551,” says Hall, who’s the women’s committee chair as well as outreach coordinator for the union. “My goal is to show women the trades is an opportunity for you to prove who you are and what you want to become. My organization is here to help you do that, not to turn you away.” Alondra Perez, a welding technology student at Napa Valley College, says she also reaches out to other women entering the field. “Other women did this for me and that’s why I’m doing it. I
52 NorthBaybiz
June 2024
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