The health and safety issues facing women on a construction site are sometimes different than those faced by men, but those issues aren’t enough to keep women from thriving in a career in the trades.
That’s the message the young women in San Joaquin County Office of Education (SJCOE) YouthBuild San Joaquin heard in a special training for students on Nov. 17. It was a first for the program, to have the female students split off from their male counterparts.
“I think it was a great opportunity to get away from the guys and really get a feeling for what it is like for a female on the jobsite,” said Sheilah Goulart, program director.
The group covered a wide range of topics, from learning how to deal with “macho culture” to knowing how to stay safe and work effectively when most protective gear and tools are designed with men in mind.
And it was the women with real-world experience who led the discussion and truly brought the message home.
“What was really powerful today was having the tradeswomen here to speak,” Goulart said. “To hear from the women who have actually worked in construction.”
And they said it is a career worth pursuing.
“More and more women are getting in the trades, but it’s still kind of rare to see another female on a job site,” said Betty Nagel, a sheet-metal worker.
Male culture can impact the workshop in a few different ways, she said. Men can sometimes be too polite – offering to help out in ways that could mask a woman’s ability to perform the job. Or sometimes a woman could be met with hostility. It’s important to know how stand up for yourself, she said. But she also said the work site is usually a welcoming place.
Liz Sutton, another sheet-metal worker, agreed. The men and women working together are more than a team, she said. “It’s a family. You take care of each other.”
She shared her experiences. But she also reminded the young women of YouthBuild about the iconic Rosie the Riveter and how it was women who built the planes, tanks, and ships used to fight during World War II.
“This is proof. We can do it,” she said.
The visitors’ stories were proof enough to the YouthBuild students.
They were eye-opening for Alondra Meza, 20, who didn’t expect she would want to pursue a career in the trades before the meeting.
“I don’t know exactly what I want to do, but it gave me a better idea what it would be like for me to go into construction.”
Goulart said she hopes the meeting could be a first step to forming a network of support from current and former tradeswoman for young women considering following in their footsteps.