Women in trades: Interviews with employers and tradeswomen

Purpose

The aim of this study was to understand what employers were currently doing in New Zealand to attract and retain women in male-dominated trades and to learn more about the benefits of having women in what have been traditionally male-dominated industries. 

The New Zealand workforce is highly segregated.  Around half of all New Zealanders work in occupations in which 70 percent of or more of workers are the same gender as them.  A large section of the workforce, approximately 11 percent of all workers, employ virtually no women.  These are primarily trades occupations.  In 2006, only one percent of builders, plumbers, electricians, and motor mechanics were women.  

Occupational segregation contributes to the pay gap between men and women.  It may also result in an under-utilisation of women’s and men’s skills, decreased labour mobility, with subsequent negative impacts on economic productivity and economic growth.

There are a number of barriers to women working in trades, including girls not receiving appropriate careers advice, myths and mis-information about gender and trades, lack of flexibility and discrimination.

We wanted to find out from women who are working in trades, and their employers, what works to get women into trades and to support them to remain working in the workplace.  

• Research approach

• Benefits of women in trades

Case studies

• Women in White Decorators – and Clare
• Hutt Gas and Plumbing Ltd – and Shelley
• Longveld Engineering Ltd – and Cassie, Lianne, Huiroa, Debbie and Mamai
• The Electrical Training Company– and Bernadette and Alicia
• Baytex Manufacturing Co Ltd – and Katie, Aurora, and Chanel
• Unitec Apprenticeship Trust – and Kartika