Have you ever wondered about the people on the edge of the road in bright neon colors and who they are? Well, they are construction workers, but if you ever look closely at them, you may realize that they are usually all men and are rarely ever women. That is because construction working, which is a blue collar career, is mainly a male-dominated industry.
There is a very small percentage of female workers in the blue collar industry. According to Business Standards, only 8 percent of blue collar workers are women. That is one out of every 12 workers in the industry. Studies also show that women in these jobs tend to get paid less. According to Business Insider, women in blue collar fields make 78 cents for every dollar a man earns.
As a woman and a soon-to-be high school graduate who is looking for a career to go into after high school, this information can be upsetting. There are many different career options that I can choose from, but one that really stands out to me is the blue collar industry: welding.
Thankfully, my family is supportive of my decisions about my career choice. I have grown up with a lot of males in my family to where I have more determination and independence for the things that I do in everyday life. I also have a passion for making and creating things. When I heard that I could make things that could make me lots of money, I was invested.
Being a female in the industry may have its challenges, though. According to Trade Safe, one challenge is that there will be some biases when getting hired. The company might go with a male over a female when choosing to hire. When working, it will mainly be a male-dominanted environment, which may be hard to adjust to as well.
But there are some perks to situations like these. Reports show that being a female in this industry offers better job security, as they tend to work longer in their respective fields. Additionally, even with the gender gap in pay, blue collar jobs tend to have overall better python many white collar jobs starting off.
Even though it is male-domanated in the blue collar industry, it is still possible for women to be successful in this field. You may just need to be persistent and have the passion for the job to stick with it, but in the long run, the benefits will hopefully outweigh the initial struggles.