For decades job opportunities for women have been snatched off just because of the so-called stereotypes in the society that termed women as weak, fragile, and incapable. Women throughout history have proved their worth by shattering societal norms and marching forward. During the world war, there were many women in trade professions, including the so-called tough jobs, but they were forced to step down from their positions once the men returned from the war. No doubt, skilled trade jobs have been a male-dominated profession in history, but women have significantly contributed to the field even though their participation was minimal. Today, more and more women are exploring and entering skilled trade jobs, but they represent as low as ten percent of the overall workforce in America. Women need to be encouraged to enter the field to avail the benefits of the shortage of workers, the high salaries, and most importantly, to balance out the ratio of male and female workers in the field. The most significant advantage of Skilled trade jobs is that they do not require a college degree and can be learned at a specialized technician training school that enables students with all the expertise and skills.
Significant women in trade professions
Here are some of the innovative women in the skilled trades who proved their metal and continue to be an inspiration for women to enter the field without any fear:
Mary Eliza Mahoney
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She was the first black woman to become a Registered Nurse (RN) in 1879. She started her career as a training nurse and got a job at a New England Hospital for Women and Children. It was the first-ever hospital in the U.S. that offered a nursing program. She worked at the hospital and later got selected for the nursing program at the age of 33. Mahoney played a crucial role in establishing the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses (NACGN). In 1976, she was honored with her induction into the Nursing Hall of Fame and her further induction into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 1993.
Cheryl McKissack Daniel
Daniel’s family owns the professional design construction firms in the U.S, and she works as a north operations head in the company. She earned her civil engineering degree from Howard University. Her most significant achievement was the acquisition of construction of JFK Airport Terminal 1 worth 8 billion. She inspires thousands of women to take up their dreams and compete in a man dominated world and prove their worth to the world.
Eugenia Powell Deas
Eugenia Powell Deas had a tough childhood and youth. Her mother passed away when she was a newborn and faced discrimination for her color as a young adult. However, she never left her passion for work and continued her efforts in that direction.
She was the only black women welder at Charleston Navy Shipyard during World War II. She was considered the best welder at the shipyard, proving her worth beyond the stereotypes. She was a superwoman who raised nine children along with her work. She is a significant source of strength and power to today’s modern women who want to enter skilled trade jobs.
Alice H. Parker
Alice H. Parker was born in New Jersey in 1895; she studied at Howard University and received a certificate. She designed the central heating system using natural gas. One of the first times that a black woman got a patent and her discovery led to the fundamentals of the groundwork for heating systems in homes and commercial areas.
Heather Holler
Her life took a whole new turn when she attended her first-ever autocross event, which gave her the vision to become an auto mechanic. She got into a technical school and got a job as a full-time mechanic after graduation at Subaru Motorsports in the U.S. She was recently chosen as the best mechanic at Hyundai Motorsport GmbH World Rally Championship test team.
Tina Gleisner
Tina Gleiser had a successful career at IBM and now runs a successful company HomeTipsForWomen. After quitting her job, she was determined to pursue her interest that was fixing houses. She had 15 houses in 5 different states, and she maintained them all alone. This provided her with ample experience and knowledge, and she started her handyman business, which ran for a good eight years and then focused more on other aspects of the company.
Conclusion
We need more women in the trade business to break the gender barriers. More women should enroll themselves in a technician training school such as a trade school in Philadelphia to learn skills and expertise. There are numerous top trades for women that provide excellent career opportunities. Women are the anchor of society, and they need to come forward to occupy the skilled trade jobs so that all professions are gender-neutral.
