More ladies becoming tradies
JOY LALAHI is enjoying operating a cherry picker in the fresh air, fixing a light fitting in a Christchurch carpark.
An apprentice electrician, she is happy to talk about being a woman in a male-dominated trade.
‘‘Most people are stuck in an office, and I get to be here – how good is that?’’
Lalahi, 32, and a single mother of two boys, decided to retrain as an electrician after working as a flight attendant, English tutor and in a supermarket. She is one of a growing number of Canterbury women working in trades and on the rebuild.
A new report reveals 8600 women are employed in construction in the region, a big jump from 3600 two years ago
There were 31,400 women employed in construction nationally. Minister for Women Louise Upston said the report was aimed at boosting women’s career choices and making better use of the female workforce.
Nearly 18 per cent of Canterbury’s construction workers are female, compared with just over 14 per cent nationally. And the number of women training in trades at Christchurch Polytechnic (CPIT), has jumped 800 per cent in four years – from just 50 in 2011 to 414 last year.
Upston said the lessons learned in Canterbury could be used to encourage employers, industry, training groups and schools nationally to get more women into trades and construction.
The report tracks the loss of many female-dominated jobs after the earthquakes, and how plumbers and electricians earn considerably more than hairdressers and childcare workers.
Upston said that with some employers struggling to fill jobs and rising demand for skilled workers, encouraging women into trades was important.
‘‘These industries are likely to drive New Zealand’s growth in the next five to 10 years, so it makes good business sense to attract women to trade industries.’’
Lalahi is now employed at Canterbury University and has no problems being in a male-dominated field. ‘‘I feel like I have to prove myself, but you have to do that with any job.’’