Re-construction

By David Glanz

In the so-called post-feminist era, women on work sites remain a rarity.

According to the ABS, 100% of all apprentices in plumbing and the electrical and electronic areas in 1999 were male. In construction the figure was 99.7% - meaning just 85 out of 28,300 young people entering the industry were female. Kids won't be watching Betty the Builder for quite a while yet. So what is it like to be the odd woman out? Why would a woman take the plunge, and how do they survive?

Glanz talks to some young women in the construction industry in Melbourne, including Angela Casella and Vanessa Garbett, and to Ravi Ariyawansa from Construction Training Australia, and Ellen Kleimaker, women's and equity officer from the Victorian Trades Hall Council.

(Eureka Street. Vol. 13, no. 5, June 2003)