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| Aroostook Republican Photo/Lisa Wilcox The female construction students at Loring Job Corps Center in Limestone include, from left, Theresa Pettie, Kristina Giorlando, Alexa Furlow-Jordan, Erica Prentice, Casey Hudson and Maegan Johnson. |
By Lisa Wilcox
Staff Writer
LIMESTONE — Despite the steady increase of women in the workplace over the past several decades, there are many industries that remain male-dominated. The construction field is one of them with only 9 percent of the workforce comprised of women, according to the National Association of Women in Construction.
Despite those low statistics, Loring Job Corps Center has seen an increase in female students in their construction programs, including carpentry, cement masonry, electrical and painting.
According to Pam Buck, the LJCC business and community liaison, even with enrollment on the rise, the center has yet to meet their quota for female students.
“A lot of girls don’t think they can do it,” Buck said.
But the women who are enrolled tell a different story.
“There are lots of things we can do that men can’t do as easily,” said Erica Prentice, one of the female students enrolled in the carpentry program. “Like duct work. It’s easier for us to crawl through the spaces than it is for a man.”
Motivated by the money-making potential of the construction industry and the opportunity to do work they feel is more productive and enjoyable than conventional office work, the female students outlined many differences in their work habits as compared to men.
“Women are more detail-oriented,” said Casey Hudson, a painting student. “And we are neater.”
“And we don’t complain as much as men,” added Alexa Furlow-Jordan, a masonry student. “Women will do just about anything without complaining.”
The women admit their male counterparts are not always accepting of their enrollment and can be a bit condescending at first.
“Our work is definitely scrutinized,” Hudson acknowledged. “They try to do things for you at first, like lift things, but then they realize that you can do it and leave you alone.”
Theresa Pettie, whose father worked in the construction industry, inspiring her to enroll, confirmed Hudson’s observation.
“I was picked on at first. They were just trying to see if I knew what I was doing,” Pettie commented. “But now they are like my big brothers.”
Never allowing themselves to feel like an anomaly, the ladies went into their chosen programs fully determined to succeed and to work as hard as the males.
“I don’t feel like just a ‘girl’ in the trade,” said Hudson.
Even though they work hard to be as accepted in the industry as men and put a lot of effort into fighting stereotypes, the female students do admit to doing battle with their femininity on occasion.
“Sometimes I just want to have a day to look nice,” Hudson admitted.
“I still get my nails done,” Kristina Giorlando, an LJCC masonry student, said, displaying her perfectly manicured hands.
“Yeah, well, I wear my dirt with pride,” Furlow-Jordan added.
The majority of the women have aspirations to own their own contracting business or to work as a manager.
“I would like to be a foreman,” Giorlando explained. “Something where I can get out in the field.”
According to NAWIC statistics from 2006, women in the construction industry only make 85.8 percent of the wages that men do. But money is not the only motivation for the young women. They truly enjoy the work.
“You can always put a hard trade to your own use.” Prentice said, pointing out the usefulness of the trade. “Instead of hiring someone else and waiting for them to do it, you can just do it yourself.”
Prentice added that she had worked in a more female-dominated area previously as a certified nurses aide. “I worked harder as a CNA and got less money,” she observed. “I could never work and be miserable. You’ve got to love what you do.”
