This is something I’ve neglected to write very much about
. This is what I do for a living. Writing about mental health, past experiences, personalities, are all deep interests of mine but they don’t pay the bills.
Women in the trades are growing, even though locally each woman may feel isolated and definitely of the minority. Just to think, I would have never imagined myself working in the trades only because I never saw it as a real viable option. I never saw another woman doing these sorts of things, this was a “man’s job”. There was no one I could point to and say when I was young, I want to be like her (in the trades).
You could say that’s because of the time period I grew up in but no. Talking to young girls today about the trades I still hear the phrase “man’s job”. It’s just not well represented with women, and not all women may enjoy this or choose this path but I do and I’ll share a little why.
First, what do I mean when I say I work in the trades? There are so many trades! I would say general carpentry. What I mean would include things such as: framing, roofing, flooring, tiling, drywall, taping, mudding, wood panelling, etc (not a finish carpenter, I don’t do cabinets, or any furniture although the latter would be a dream to learn some day).
I love working hard. I am very much an over thinker, I live inside my head and I need a break from myself! Working physically with my hands is a break in a sense. Typically I think in terms of the big picture, society, people, topics that weigh heavy on my mind and heart. When I’m at work I don’t have that pressure, I’m thinking about creating, I am thinking about what’s right in front of me.
You need an eye for detail, and you need to think ahead (not in a big picture where is society heading kind of way). I think women’s minds tend to work especially well in those areas, at least my husband seems to tell me. For a job to be done right, it has to be square, and plumb. I think especially with taping and mudding, it has to be smooth, there’s a bit of a Goldilocks aspect where there’s too much, not enough, and just right. It takes time and effort to learn these skills but it is so satisfying when you can look back at a job well done.
Work doesn’t consume me at home. I leave my work at work. We keep it simple and don’t take on more clients than we need or reasonably can do because we want to stick to a team of two, and so I’m not worrying about drumming enough work for a crew or handling many clients and orders.
I have a really good mentor, my husband, who is very patient and gives me confidence to try things outside of my comfort zone. Not everyone has that unfortunately, whether in a husband or Family crew member. A lot of women have expressed frustration being left the clean up jobs, or not given enough credit for their skill and being left with smaller jobs because of their gender.
In my opinion, women can do just about as much because tools let us work smart not hard. By that I mean, you don’t have to have all of the strength (and even with that said, we know there are some of you women who could out-lift your average man). There are only a few jobs I find that require a level of blunt force or upper body strength that might be difficult but even then not impossible for me or any other female. Most lifting should be done with your legs, and women have got that covered… I mean, they carry a whole other human being for nine months, those legs are pretty powerful gifts.
Do I sometimes feel discouraged or put down because of my gender? Yes. There’s a few odd comments, but the funny thing about me is if you give me any resistance I fight harder. I work harder to prove myself.
I look back and smile because even as a kid, we were in mini cars racing around a track and one boy hit my car on the side, and blew past me. My little face changed from one of pure delight to one of determination with only one thing on my mind “beat him” and I did. Unbeknownst to me, my mom and aunt were watching me laughing because they could read my face and body language and knew I was out to prove myself.
For you unbelievers, don’t knock it till you try it, or until you see a hard working trades woman for yourself. I’m not an advocate by any means, and I’m not even trying to push a feminist agenda on you… just sharing one of my many experiences in life.
Master of None 