Trade Careers for Women: 5 Reasons to Consider a Trade Job

Here are a few sobering facts for you: According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), only 2.2 percent of electricians, 2.8 percent of carpenters, and 5.3 percent of welders are women. All in all, women make up a tiny portion of the skilled trade workforce throughout the United States.

What does this tell us? Despite the fact that these are all highly desirable skilled trade professions offering huge income potential, women are greatly underrepresented within them. And, if you ask us, that’s pretty messed up.

Women In Trades In The USA

Statistic	Value
Percentage of Women in Trades	Approximately 4%
Percentage of Women Earnings Compared to Men	About 90%
Growth in Women Working in Trades (2016-2021)	32.1% increase (over 314,000 women)
Percentage of Women in Active Apprenticeships	Approximately 13.8%
Percentage of Women in Apprenticeships (2014)	9.4%

Why are there so few women working trade jobs, you ask? It’s a complicated issue that dates back centuries, but factors such as a higher likelihood of sexual harassment may be at play. One 1999 report from the U.S. Department of Labor showed that 88 percent of women in construction have experienced sexual harassment). However, with the conversation on workplace sexual harassment constantly evolving, the outlook for women in construction is undoubtedly a lot brighter than it once was.

Blatant hiring discrimination and a measurable wage gap may also contribute to the lower numbers of women in trade industries. Coupled with deep-seated, largely arbitrary gender roles in the skilled workforce, women have been shoved to the side of many high-paying vocational fields pretty much forever.

Why You Should Consider a Skilled Trade Job

We can’t say specifically what has prevented women from becoming construction workers, electricians, plumbers, or welders, but we know one thing: it has nothing to do with their abilities or their intellect, which is why we’re out to shake up the stats! If you’re a woman who dreams of crushing it in a traditionally male-dominated trade industry, here are some more reasons why you should pursue these careers anyway.

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  The Skilled Trade Job Market Is Super-Secure — Perhaps because they’ve all but barred half of humanity from participating in them for decades, the skilled trades are suffering from a pretty serious workforce shortage at the moment. The skilled trades gap means we’re short on electricians, plumbers, miners, loggers, construction workers, utility workers, and HVAC workers, all of whom are essential to the success and growth of our societies. As a result of this, the job security in virtually all skilled trades is a given for the foreseeable future. 
• Skilled Trade Careers Are Surprisingly Lucrative — If you thought there were no good paying jobs in the skilled trades, you’d be wrong! In the same way that the skilled labor shortage has created a secure, wide-open job market for those who want to pursue these fields, it has also significantly upped their pay. According to the BLS, construction trade workers make around $70,540 annually; electricians make around $59,190 annually; and HVAC installers make around $50,160 annually. Carpenters, iron workers, and plumbers earn even more.
• Skilled Trades Don’t Require College — One of the best things about these fields is that they typically don’t require a huge educational investment. That means a few things for aspiring workers: you can get to work faster (three to six months of schooling or apprenticeship versus several years of college) and the cost to obtain your qualification is much cheaper. The average cost to complete a trade program is around $33,000, compared to about that much per year of college at a traditional four-year university. And if you have opted into a vocational school program in high school, there may be no cost to you at all. 

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  Skilled Trades Are Badass, Plain and Simple — OK, do we really even need to elaborate? We don’t want to romanticize it or anything, because a lot of these trades are extremely physically demanding, but there is something pretty badass about getting to do things like climb wind turbines or fix airplanes every day. And if you’re just not the kind of person who wants to sit at a desk for hours on end, the skilled trades offer plenty of opportunity for working with your hands and being active.
• Skilled Trades Have Great Benefits — One of the coolest things about these trades is that most of their employees belong to unions. This means they’re represented by a labor organization that ensures that they get adequate pay and great benefits. Some examples of trade unions are the Teamsters (representing truck drivers, warehouse workers, and other trades) and the United Steelworkers (representing those who work in steel mills and related trades). Unions ensure that these workers get benefits such as health insurance, pensions, and paid leave.

Finding the Right Trade School

Finding the right trade school can be an important decision for individuals who are interested in pursuing a trade career. There are many different trade schools to choose from, and each one may offer different programs and resources. When researching trade schools, it’s important to consider factors such as the school’s reputation, the quality of its programs, and the availability of financial aid and support services.

One way to research trade schools is to look for schools that are accredited by a recognized accrediting agency. Accreditation can provide assurance that the school meets certain standards for quality and effectiveness. Additionally, many trade schools offer online programs and courses, which can provide flexibility and convenience for students who need to balance their education with work or other responsibilities.

Building a Support Network in Skilled Trades

Building a support network is important for success in any career, and skilled trades are no exception. Many trade schools and professional organizations offer resources and support for students and professionals in the skilled trades. These resources can include mentorship programs, networking events, and online forums and communities.

In addition to these formal resources, many trade professionals also build their own support networks through personal connections and relationships. For example, a young woman who is just starting out in the trades may seek out a mentor who is an experienced trade professional. This mentor can provide guidance and support as she navigates her career and builds her skills and knowledge.

Trade Up for a Trade Career

The bottom line is that, though women make up a small factor of the trade professions, these jobs are becoming ever more in demand to all genders. Offering lots of job security, plenty of pay potential, and great benefits, working in a skilled trade is a great career move for men and women alike.

Popular Questions

Below are common questions we get asked about this topic.