BARRIERS TO GENDER EQUITY IN THE TRADES

In Canada, and indeed in many developed countries, women are severely under-represented in trade work. Due to ingrained societal attitudes about gender roles and expectations, young women are seldom exposed to the trades in schools or at home. As a result, they do not see a career in the trades as a potentially fulfilling and well-paid option. For those who do choose this type of work, the lack of a critical mass of women working in the field can severely limit their development and job satisfaction.

While the systemic societal and cultural obstacles are significant and difficult to overcome, there are other barriers that exist at the organizational level that impact the likelihood that women will enter the trades and stay in those jobs to build meaningful careers. These barriers must be understood so they can be addressed by companies seeking to promote change and make a real difference. The organizational barriers can be categorized as follows:

Recruitment and Development Practices

Hiring in the trades, more so than other sectors, has been done on a word-of-mouth referral basis. Current (male) employees recommend friends and relatives who, very often, come from similar backgrounds, have similar values and are male. Where unions play a part in filling positions for trade jobs they, too, are typically male-dominated and have tended to recommend men for work over women. As a result, obtaining that first trade-based job can be a daunting task.

For women who do obtain jobs in the sector, preconceived notions can follow them when it comes to receiving training and development. Women are not always judged on the basis of their skills and abilities and there can be a tendency to see male employees as simply more worthy of bigger jobs and increased pay. A related issue involves thinking that women, because of family obligations or simply because they are not men, aren’t serious about a career in the trades and are “not here to stay”. In the end, women are often overlooked for promotional and development opportunities, become demotivated and leave their jobs.

Organizational Support Networks

A lack of female role models and networks is a significant organizational barrier for women seeking to enter the trades or advance within the field. This lack of support can be felt at many stages along the career path. Starting in school, including pre-apprenticeships, it is quite common for a woman to look around the classroom and realize they are the only female in the room. If they remain in the trades, this experience is repeated at many points in a woman’s career. Not having role models to connect with or peers to confide in means there is no one with whom to share challenges or solutions. Every high-achieving employee in any career stream has likely become successful by sharing experiences with a network of like-minded people. All too often, this support network is simply unavailable to women in the trades.

Mentors

A mentor is someone who acts as a coach or guide to someone with less experience. This advisor is able to pass on their experience and expertise to a mentee as a means of helping them navigate the inevitable challenges that arise over the course of a career. Mentors can also facilitate vital connections to others in the sector who can assist a mentee with their career growth. While it’s not true that only a woman can be a mentor to another woman, it certainly helps improve the effectiveness of the relationship when there is a common shared experience to draw on.

Once again, with relatively few experienced women working in the trades, this important one-on-one relationship is often not available to women in the field. The lack of mentors and mentoring programs then serves to worsen any existing gaps in skills and knowledge. Vital connections are not made within the work group and, once again, female trade employees can be left feeling isolated, ill-equipped to handle difficult challenges and more likely to leave their chosen field of work.

Workplace Policies and Practices

Because trades work takes place in an environment dominated by men, the culture is defined by traditional male values of competition, toughness, joking and teasing. Those traits can be associated with higher rates of bullying and harassment. Bonding in these environments takes place on male terms that can sometimes include sexually explicit or sexist comments. Many companies have found it challenging to tackle this culture - through effective policies and practices – in order to be more welcoming to women and others who do not “fit the mold”.

Women are more likely to be caregivers, to both children and elders. More often than not, the bulk of home and family responsibilities falls on them so inflexible workplace policies and practices affect them more and in different ways than their male colleagues.

Health and Safety

Women don’t always have access to personal protective equipment (PPE) that fits properly. This can put them at direct risk of injury. If boots, gloves, and fall harnesses don’t fit women’s bodies, they can impact an individual’s ability to complete the task safely. Many field-based jobs in the electrical utilities are inherently dangerous unless proper safeguards are taken. Ill-fitting attire and PPE can exacerbate that risk and, understandably, discourage women from taking on these roles.

Similarly, the tools required to carry-out electrical work have traditionally been based on men’s ergonomics. Women have different strengths and different body limitations (as do men with smaller physiques) so they may end up using a tool in a way that was not intended. This could result in a repetitive strain injury or far more serious consequences.

The very basic need for a clean, private, accessible bathroom is not being met for many women who work in the trades. The thought of not going to the bathroom for hours at a time, or being told to share with male employees will be a significant impediment to any woman considering field-based roles. Organizations must address this fundamental expectation prior to embarking on any journey to attract women to trade-based roles.

Chloe Penno

Powerline Technician Apprentice, Oakville Hydro