Perception the biggest barrier for women

By Heather Killen

Spectator

NovaNewsNow.com



The biggest employment barrier that women in trades and technology continue to face is perception.

Women make up nearly half of the workforce in the province. However, only 4.6 per cent of women work in trades and about 16 per cent in technology occupations in Nova Scotia, despite good job security and pay.

“There’s a perception that lots of women are working in trades and technologies, but that’s not the case,” said Nan Armour, of Hypathia Association, a group that is working to address the barriers that limit women’s participation in the trades and technologies through a three-year pilot project called Women Unlimited.

“One of the barriers we face is the perception that things are better for women, but if you look at the trends from 1991 until 2001, they aren’t that impressive.”

Armour said there are a number of systemic barriers that continue to work against women who want to enter nontraditional fields.

The biggest barrier continues to be stereotypical thinking on the part of the workplace.

Lisa Mason is one of three females in her Geomatics Engineering Technology class at NSCC’s Annapolis Valley Campus.

The 23-year-old already understands the challenges facing women at some job sites; she worked for her father’s construction company for two summers during university.

“Employers look at women differently, no question,” she says. “We are made to feel like we need to prove ourselves in order to be respected on the job. The only way to change attitudes is for more women to succeed in their careers and to blaze a trail for others. I plan to become one of those women.”

Women Unlimited is a three-year pilot project in Nova Scotia that supports women and helps address the barriers they face trying to enter the trades and technology fields. It works with employers to ensure that workplaces are welcoming to women. It is now being tested at the Lunenburg and Institute of Technology campuses of Nova Scotia Community College.

Hypathia Association works with employers to identify workplace policies and attitudes that are barriers to integrating women into nontraditional roles in the workplace.

Armour said that integrating women into these fields is the key to building a stronger economy through a diversified workplace.

“There is a greater problem solving capacity in a diversified workplace and this offers an edge in global competitiveness,” she said.

Industries that rely on tradespeople and technological workers are experiencing a shortage of skilled workers that will worsen over the next decade.

Armour said that young women frequently have stronger ties to their communities are less likely to be as mobile as their male counterparts, making them a vital resource to local economies.

“The biggest change we need to see in society is the mindset,” Armour said. “There is no one magic intervention that will change everything. It’s a long process that requires changing attitudes.”