WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH | WOMEN IN THE TRADES
I Helped Pave the Way for Women Working in Trades
The ’80s were not easy for women working in industrial arts
In the early ’80s, I was the only woman working in a shop environment. Woodworking, metal working, and all aspects of working in industry. As a Therapy Technician in the industrial arts, my job was to support ‘Industrial Therapists’ as they got workers injured on the job back into the workplace.
We worked in tandem with doctors, physical therapists, and psychologists in supporting the blue-collar workers of Oregon who had been injured on the job.
When the all-male staff in the Industrial Therapy department opened up a job for a helper, they didn’t think a woman would apply. I was the top candidate on paper.
My supervisor “Little Joe” told me, when he offered me the job, my application was the strongest.
“We have one problem,” he said, “The men are skeptical about you because they want to hire a man. Not a woman.”
Great. My gender was setting me back.
Should I accept the job? It was a $300-per-month pay raise. No brainer. I accepted the reluctant offer, and my heart raced. My first day came along, and I was…
