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  • medicine.

  • Journalism politics Women have made huge strides in nearly every career, but one field that's remained largely a man's world is trade jobs, like plumbers and electricians and carpenters.

  • But that but that's changing.

  • And here to tell us more about these modern day Rosie the Riveters, his career expert, Susie.

  • Well, hello, Rosie the Riveters.

  • Women who were handy with tools were the norm during World War two, but for nearly 50 years after that, the idea of women wielding tool belts was relatively unheard of.

  • Now more and more women are trying a career in trade on for size, and they're finding the sky's the limit both personally and professionally.

  • Melissa Riera stands just four foot 11 but says she's found a career that makes her feel larger than life.

  • CORBIN TREE So I took some time off trying to figure out what I was doing, and I quickly realized that I wanted to work with my hands.

  • Myrtle Wilson, single mom of two.

  • I thought you'd never break free of the need to work two jobs until she stumbled into construction, was working seven days a week, killing myself and and just warming meeting and a childhood friend of my said, Well, what do you think are trying your hand at construction?

  • Elissa and Myrtle are two of a growing number of women for whom a clearing trade has proven to be the ideal land making really good living in every year you get a pay raise.

  • I don't have your pension, you have your annuity, you have medical benefits.

  • It's all really, really.

  • Women hold just 4% of trade jobs in the U.

  • S.

  • An industry that includes laborers, electrician's, plumbers and carpenters.

  • Still, that's quadruple the number of women that worked in trade 40 years ago, and numbers continued to climb.

  • Master Electrician's Veronica Rose says.

  • In an age where women can struggle for wage equality, the trades could be a terrific option.

  • If you go into the organized trade unions as a woman, you're in the top 20% of earned income for all women in the United States.

  • Veronika entered the field in 1979 and managed to balance a husband and five Children.

  • With the career is an electrician's in.

  • Today she holds her own $5 million firm.

  • You said it's easier to raise a building and raise a family.

  • Oh, it's 10 times easier.

  • If you convey HQ a cake and follow directions, you have the potential is a woman to become one of the best crafts people in the trades in the United States?

  • I am sweating, all right, I wasn't so sure.

  • It could be as easy as baking a cake.

  • But then I visited the women and knew that stands for nontraditional employment for women, an organization committed to helping women land job in trade.

  • They gave me a crash course in carpentry, training me how to use a circular saw like the hardest part about working trade, according to the women we spoke with, including others that they can do the job.

  • Most of the guys, once they see that you're a worker and you get in those trenches right alongside them.

  • You kind of pay your dues and you get that respect.

  • As for employers, many told us they like, but would bring to the job site.

  • In the past three years, we've hard abundance of women because of how I feel about women in the business, and I think that there actually more efficient than some men in the business today, That's music to the ears of Hallie Campaign, who says she struggled for years to find her place in high school.

  • I never did that great.

  • My I struggled with learning disabilities, and I found that I learned a lot of things.

  • Hands on.

  • Now hard at work, constructing a new 25 story cancer hospital.

  • She's responsible for helping Ray the beams.

  • Halley says.

  • Things are looking up way, way up.

  • I think a lot of our viewers will be watching, and they will be attracted to some of the same things you were attracted to, which is not going to an office every day, going into an office every day.

  • I like that I can wake up, and I don't have to put on makeup or impress anyone.

  • I never knew what I wanted to do.

  • And then when I started doing this, I was just so excited because it was something that I could put my, my entire body in my entire mind into it to be.

  • Paper.

  • Yeah, and to be big for yeah, exactly like I love what I do.

  • And I think I'll always love it.

  • Susie, I love thes awesome.

  • These women were so impressive.

  • And I was scared when I was there in their school learning how to do it.

  • But wait, I made you, I made you on.

  • If I could do this and there is hope for anybody, I think this is not my forte.

  • Make up to, like, $60 in ever such a living.

  • I mean, five years out, you could make 54 60 60 bucks an hour.

  • You've been in retail, retail or in child care.

  • I mean, this is a life changing away to do work.

  • And I love it.

  • They're still outnumbered by men.

  • So what if they say the feeling is like that?

  • Miss fears them, you know.

  • What is it?

  • Do the men hassle you?

  • Do they harassed you when they were like No, you know, first of all, they're trained by the union not to do that, but it's come a long way.

  • If you can do the work, they respect you.

  • A lot of these men, they have daughters or sisters or wives, and they don't give you a hard time the way you might expect.

  • So you might break a nail or to that.

  • Be careful.

  • All right.

  • All right in the New York City area.

  • You you said the women who are interested these trade careers can check out new the nontraditional employment for women organization and outside of New York, women should check out the Department of Labor's website for a state by state breakdown on how to pursue a career in the trade.

  • So great, awesome.

  • Hello today, fans.

  • Thanks for checking out.

  • Are you too gentle?

  • Subscribed by clicking that button down there on click on any of the videos over here, watch the latest interview show highlights and digital exclusives.

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