“In order to be successful, you couldn’t be ‘one of the guys’. You had to be yourself, stand by your principles, do your job, and keep your nose clean.” — My mom, retired Atlanta Police Officer

In honor of International Women’s Day, which will have passed by the time this posts, lest we forget, I wanted to take this opportunity to expand on an article I recently wrote on gendered ageism, and focus on women in general, particularly those who hold nontraditional female roles in the workplace.

The idea of this article came to me as I sat next to a woman in a nail salon who told me she was a welder. She still has an innate sense of feminity, after all. In my mind, she became an instant badass, and I immediately wanted to be her BFF. I was somewhat starstruck by this woman who was lighting a torch for women in this male-dominated field.

Women have traditionally been associated with — er pigeonholed into — female-dominated roles such as teacher, nurse, administrative, etc. More often than not, women opt out of pursuing a career in a male-dominated field due to culture, society, and lack of support from their families.

According to Kate Lee with the Workplace Gender Equality Agency, pressure from family and the wider society are some of the biggest factors preventing women from entering male-dominated industries. There is also the physical aspect when it comes to the ability to perform manual labor and the STEM gap. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, women make up only 28% of the workforce in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), and men vastly outnumber women majoring in most STEM fields in college.

I believe this is mainly due to a belief system that has dominated our society since time immemorial. As late as the early 20th century, most women in the United States did not work outside the home, and those who did were primarily young and unmarried. According to Claudia Goldin in her work Understanding the Gender Gap: An Economic History of American Women, in that era, just 20 percent of all women were “gainful workers.”

Back in those days, women got married, raised families, took care of the home, and did not pursue careers. The latter was frowned upon as were educational pursuits. However, by the 1970s, we saw a major shift in the number of women in the labor force. By 1970, 50 percent of single women and 40 percent of married women were participating in the labor force. This is mainly accredited to the advent of mass high school education, which caused graduation rates to rise substantially. New technologies contributed to an increased demand for clerical workers- jobs that were increasingly taken on by women.

Slowly but surely, little girls realized they no longer were put on this earth to get married, raise babies, and have dinner on the table when their husbands walked through the door with “honey! I’m home!”

Between 1970 - 1980, we saw the emergence of the two-income household. With divorce rates increasing in the 1980s, women were forced out of the home and into the workforce. Cue age of the latchkey kids, of which I was one.

In the late 1970s, my mom found herself as a single mom of two little girls, ages 7 and 9. She had to go back to work. She became one of the few female police officers with the Atlanta Police Department. I asked her what it took to succeed in a male-dominated industry back then. She said: “In order to be successful, you couldn’t be ‘one of the guys’. You had to be yourself, stand by your principles, do your job, and keep your nose clean.”

According to Statista, women in law enforcement make up about 12.8% of all state, municipal, and county police officers. Lt. Cara Rossi, Operations Commander of the Natick Police Department believes this is because there aren’t many role models for women. She started an initiative called “30 by 30”, which aims to increase that number to 30% women in law enforcement by 2030.

Back to my new welder BFF: According to the American Welding Society Foundation, women make up only about 5 percent of the welding workforce. At many of the places where they work, there isn’t even a women’s bathroom on the factory floor. When I asked how she got into welding, she said it was because the pay was decent and the hours are flexible. She’s no Jennifer Beals a la ‘Flash Dance’. She also has a farm and the job gives her the time she needs to take care of the animals before and after work (love her!)

If you are considering a role in a male-dominated field, just know you are not alone. It can be intimidating if not downright terrifying, but there are some things you can do to ensure you succeed.

Mia Bevacqua, Chief Mechanic at CarParts.com had to deal with her fair share of gender bias when she was first starting out: “I was twenty years old when I started working as an automotive technician. And like most young women, I had very little confidence. I was sometimes anxious at work — and the feeling was amplified because I was the only female. Every time I made a mistake, I felt like all eyes were on me,” she says.

Her advice: Passion when combined with hard work — regardless of what field you’re in - can help you overcome adversity and rise to the top. She continues: “It took time to build confidence in myself and my abilities. Dealing with gender bias may have slowed me down here and there, but it never stopped me completely. I kept working and made it to where I am today.”

Lt. Rossi advises: “Just believe in yourself. This profession has room for all kinds of people with all different skill sets. We need diversity in order to fairly represent our communities. This can be the most rewarding career and you can make it whatever you want. You will never be bored. The ability to change lives and save lives can’t be described. I am 29 years into this career, and I would do it all over again.”

Monica Aragon, P.G., a professional geologist and hydrogeologist advises: “Whatever career path you choose, make sure that you know your subject and be confident in what you know. Become an expert because as a woman, you are going to constantly be dealing with ‘mansplaining’. You have one chance to make that impression that you know your stuff and be recognized and respected for it.”

Julie Griffin, a union laborer in the paving industry notes the importance of hard work: “Work just as hard as them and show that you can do everything they can do if not better.”

I can say from my 20 years of experience in the tech industry: cultivate solid relationships, be of service, and most importantly: Don’t be afraid to stand up for yourself. When a male client, reporter, or counterpart talked down to me or disrespected me, I was never afraid to stand up for myself. It earned me a lot of respect without getting the “bitch” reputation. That is a very delicate balance.

How can male-dominated fields attract and recruit more women?

Julie Griffin highlights the importance of empowerment: “The jobs that have a lot of physical labor can be intimidating to most. The way we can recruit more women into the roles is to show how empowering it is — for women to realize how powerful we can be.”

Olga Etkina, the founder of Black Swan Careers, notes: “The issue isn’t that industries are male-dominated; the issue, in most cases, stems from the internal culture of each individual company.”

Her advice: “Company executives need to take a long hard look at the type of cultures they’ve established within their own organizations. Are they running a boys club? Does the loudest person in the room get ahead? Is your organization a place where you would feel comfortable having the important women in your life working? If the answer is no, ask yourself why?”

She also advises that to attract more female candidates, companies need to do a culture audit and implement company-wide bias training to ensure that women have equal opportunities to grow within the organization.

“Women don’t want to work in organizations where they don’t feel valued, heard, and psychologically safe. And why would they?” — Olga Etkina

Working in a male-dominated field can be daunting. Sadly, the ‘old boys club’ still exists. One of the biggest challenges is being taken seriously in a predominantly male environment. As frustrating as that is, it’s certainly no reason to avoid pursuing a dream career in an industry that’s been traditionally dominated by men.

Here’s a quick recap of the advice by some amazing women who are rocking their male-orientated careers.

1. Be passionate about what you do.
2. Believe in yourself.
3. Work just as hard as the men. Show you are just as valuable.
4. Be an expert at what you do. Never give them room to question your knowledge and capabilities.
5. Cultivate strong relationships, stand up for yourself, earn respect.

Want to add a kick-ass copywriter with a boatload of experience to your team? Pick me!