A significant result of many of these factors is that the woman, who is usually alone in a class or on a crew of men, becomes acutely aware that she is "different". She is the immigrant. Research indicates that anyone in a token position reinforces the identity of the dominant group. The resulting isolation is devastating, even when the crew or class are supportive and accepting. Instructors report that this isolation is broken and women need less instructional support when they are hired or trained in groups of two or more.

Using our Bodies

Work in the trades and technologies is often the first time many of us have ever had to physically use our bodies. As "ladies" we are taught to keep our knees together, arms to our sides, eyes down. As little girls we learn it is OK to cry when something hurts, to take the hurt as a sign to stop. But in a physical job, if your muscles hurt or you hit your finger, you can't cry (or hide it if you do) and above all, you don't stop. You keep going, you get the work done.

This is one of the things women learn - from the men's culture, this focus on the job, this ability to willingly suspend concern with process and concentrate on getting the job done. We find ourselves stronger, more skilled, and less likely to hurt the next time.

When I first started working with another woman (in our own company) the work went well but occasionally it would slow down as we I got involved in some personal discussion. Then I one of us would say, "Act like a carpenter!" and we would go back to swinging hammers, knowing that after supper we would "act like women" and phone each other to talk in order to deal with process, the emotions of working. As carpenters, we were combining the skills of both cultures.

Ways of learning

The learning styles of men and women are often also different. Most women have what is called a "relational" style of learning (2). Relational learners don't know what they know until they hear themselves say it, so they need to explain to each other and to use the vocabulary. They also need a personal connection with the teacher. One trades instructor felt angry and "used" by his first women students until someone explained that they lacked confidence and were asking for his constant reassurance and a feeling that he cares about their progress. It made a major difference to his teaching.

Double Standard

The presence of women on a construction site or in a technology class often makes double standards apparent. For example, the men might feel that when a "lady" comes on the job they should act as "gentlemen" and stop swearing. Then they resent the woman for making them change their language. If she starts swearing she is snubbed as "unladylike".

Another example is strength. Strength is the favourite of all possible topics when people (including women) discuss why women "cannot" do trades and technology work. Few of us are born strong. There are ways to carry things, tighten things and remove things that are easier, involving balance and leverage, that one learns over time. Kinesiologists generally agree that the differences in strength between individual men and women far outweigh the generalizations of strength between them. In other words, some women are very strong and some men are not.

It is interesting that out of the hundreds of women I have spoken to in the past fifteen years, none has met a physical demand she couldn't handle--if not always in the traditional ways. But again, she is placed a double bind. If there is a particularly heavy job, she can ask for help (as most men would) or not. If she asks for help, it's because she can't do the work. If she doesn't, she's trying to show up the men. If help is offered to her, she can either accept or reject. If she accepts, it proves she can't do the work. If she rejects it and does the job alone, she's being hostile.

All of which is contrary the way a construction site and many other jobs actually operate. Everyone has different skills. Some are strong. Others' small size makes them nimble and light and more suitable for jobs like rigging the crane. Some are better at fine work, some are best at the "quick and dirty" and so on. It is the skill of the supervisor to identify such strengths and use them to the best advantage of the employer.