Today, we see women thriving in nearly every sector of the workforce. From leading in fields of medicine to taking over the C-suite, professional women have made great strides over the past 100 years. However, we still see many fields in which women are largely absent, despite the incredible growth of women’s rights and inclusion in the workforce.
Research has shown time and time again that a diverse workplace encourages creative thinking, better collaboration, and an overall more productive work environment. While it comes with its own set of challenges, fostering a diverse staff helps your business reach new heights.
Trade jobs should be some of the most diverse fields in the workforce, but unfortunately, this is not the case. Despite the affordability of trade schools as opposed to attending college, many high-paying trade jobs are dominated by men.
Women have traditionally shied away from trade school jobs, with the exception of cosmetology, CNA certification, and similar fields. Trade school jobs such as HVAC repair, plumbing, and electrical specialties are seen as “men’s work,” and therefore not many young women are encouraged into these fields after high school. However, there are numerous benefits for women entering these fields including:
- Women in trades have a much smaller wage gap between men, at 93c per dollar as opposed to the average 82c per dollar.
- Trade jobs are considered “low cost/high return;” because the education is more affordable than college, yet it can yield similar payouts in lifetime earnings
- Trade jobs are often considered “recession-proof” careers
- Many trade jobs are physically active and do not cause the same adverse health effects as desk jobs
- Hiring in most trade jobs is based on skill alone; potential limiting factors such as one’s education, appearance, connections, or social status are rarely considered.
Additionally, these trades need women now more than ever. Many trade jobs such as plumbing and HVAC repair are seeing a decline in new talent entering the field. Experienced trade workers looking toward retirement are finding it more difficult to recruit, and therefore need the workforce to be more inviting to people of all kinds.
However, women still make up only 2.4% of electricians, 1.6% of plumbers, and only 1.2% of HVAC technicians. At MaintenX, we’d like to change that.
We want to make our workplace more inclusive to women by highlighting the strengths that women bring to the workforce. We work hard to ensure that our women employees are treated and compensated equally, valued for their labor, and able to pursue the work/life balance that suits their needs. For more information on our career opportunities, click here.
