Women in Carpentry Apprenticeship: A Case Study

Abstract

This paper examines barriers to women's participation in the construction trades using a case study of a carpentry apprenticeship program. It finds that women, though they continue to face obstacles to working in the trade, remain determined to participate. It also suggests that though external efforts to open the trade to women have met with resistance, attempts to upgrade apprenticeship training and attract qualified applicants may inadvertently help ease the way for women to enter the trade. The paper concludes with speculation about the value to the union of welcoming qualified and determined women apprentices.

Before and After: Gender Transitions, Human Capital, and Workplace Experiences

“…Even in female-dominated professions, such as nursing and teaching, men outpace women in advancement to positions of authority (Williams 1995). Similar patterns exist among bluecollar professions, as women are often denied sufficient training for advancement in manual trades, passed over for promotion, or subjected to sexual harassment (Miller 1997;Yoder and Aniakudo 1997;Byrd 1999). …”

Just One of the Guys?

“…Even in the so-called women's professions, such as nursing and teaching, men outpace women in advancement to positions of authority (Williams 1995). Similar patterns exist among blue-collar professions, as women often are denied sufficient training for advancement in manual trades, passed over for promotion, or subjected to extreme forms of sexual, racial, and gender harassment that result in women's attrition (Byrd 1999;Miller 1997;Yoder and Aniakudo 1997). These studies are part of the large body of scholarly research on gender and work finding that white-and blue-collar workplaces are characterized by gender segregation, with women concentrated in lower-paying jobs with little room for advancement.…”

“…Looking at the issue of authority in the women's professions, Paul, who openly transitioned in the field of secondary education, reports a sense of having increased authority as one of the few men in his work environment: Rather than being alienated by his gender tokenism, as women often are in predominantly male workplaces (Byrd 1999), he is asked to express his opinions and is valued for being the "male" voice at the meetings, a common situation for men in "women's professions" (Williams 1995). The lack of interest paid to him as a woman in the same job demonstrates how women in predominantly female workspaces can encourage their coworkers who are men to take more authority and space in these careers, a situation that can lead to the promotion of men in women's professions (Williams 1995).…”

When Working Hard Is Not Enough for Female and Racial/Ethnic Minority Apprentices in the Highway Trades

“…As women and people of color have entered the trades, their experiences have provided an opportunity to examine the gendered and racialized dynamics of these occupations. A small body of literature has examined the experiences of women in construction in the United States (Berik, Bilginsoy, and Williams ; Byrd ; Denissen , ; Denissen and Saguy ; Duke et al. ; Hunte ; Moccio ; Paap , ; Price ), Canada (Cohen and Braid ), the United Kingdom (Greed ; Watts ), and Australia (Lingard and Francis ).…”

“…Research has also examined the discrimination faced by white women and women of color (Byrd ; Paap ; Price ; Waldinger and Bailey ). As Price (:105) noted, “[b]oth white women and women of color told me almost without exception that the hardest part of working in the trades is not the job, but dealing with prevailing attitudes about women not belonging in the trades.…”