Skilled trades, arts and tech can do more to recruit, retain women, these advocates say
CBC
Whether it's in the arts, skilled trades or technology, advocates in those fields say their industries can and should be doing more to recruit and retain women.
Tuesday is International Women's Day and CBC Kitchener-Waterloo's The Morning Edition heard from women who say progress has been made in their industry, but in each case, they said employers could do a better job of supporting women in their work.
There is still a small group of people who continue to believe women don't belong in skilled trades, said France Daviault, executive director of the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum.
She said in recent years, there have been "promising trends" in recruiting more women to the trades, but right now, the industry's workforce is about five per cent women, which is a "very, very small number," she said.
Daviault said companies need to "state the obvious" in things like job postings, saying women are welcome to apply.
Once women apply and get the jobs, she said employers need to do more to ensure women aren't being bullied or harassed on job sites, which she says is one of the main reasons she hears from women who decide to leave the industry.
"The culture on the work site needs to catch up and change. And that takes action," Daviault said.
She said companies need to put into place policies and processes for inclusion in general. This should focus not just on women, but also BIPOC women, Indigenous women and people from the LGBTQ-plus community.
Her advice to young women thinking about a career in skilled trades is to do their research, build their skill set and then find an employer who has a proven track record of hiring women.
LISTEN | Barriers for women to enter skilled trades persist and employers can do more to curb that, Canadian Apprenticeship Forum executive director says.
In a panel hosted by Wilfrid Laurier University on Monday, three artists spoke about how more can be done to help women succeed.
Larissa Koniuk, one of the founders of Bicycle Opera in Toronto, said new mothers face challenges if they want to be in the performing arts.
"The rehearsal hours, the way things are done, it doesn't make room if you chose to breastfeed a newborn," she said. She's starting a new show that will be "going to be inclusive of families."
Nelu Handa, who has written for Baroness Von Sketch, TallBoyz and Jane, champions for greater representation in acting and in comedy. She hosts a comedy showcase for women of colour.
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