How online communities are helping women stay in the skilled trades

Toronto; Mark Julien, Brock University
     Toronto, Jan 9 (The Conversation) Canada is facing a significant demographic challenge. Between 2019 and 2028, approximately 700,000 skilled trades workers are expected to retire, leaving a major gap in the future workforce.
     Governments have responded with more investments to increase interest in the skilled trades and support training, including a recent announcement by the Ontario government to invest CAD 2.6 million in Skills Ontario.
     Canada needs more people in the skilled trades, especially women. Yet despite many recruitment efforts, women remain significantly underrepresented in the skilled trades. Only 7.9 per cent of skilled trades workers are women in Canada.
     Our recent research shows that the problem is not only whether women are interested in entering the skilled trades, but if they’re able to remain once they do.

     A double stigma on the job
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     Women who enter the trades face a double stigma. Trades work is often socially devalued. At the same time, women must work as minorities in workplaces shaped by masculine norms.
     While the skilled trades offer financial independence and meaningful work, the reality is that many environments are hostile to women. The double stigma appears in daily interactions that question a woman’s competence and professional identity. To survive this double burden, women are building vital support in an unexpected place: online communities.
     In our interviews with women across Canada working in electrical, carpentry and plumbing trades, participants described feeling very isolated.
     Many were the only woman on their job site.
     This isolation often led to exclusion, scrutiny and harassment. One licensed electrician described keeping a running list of who she was mistaken for on-site, including “the carpenter’s wife,” “the painter,” and “the cleaning lady,” rather than being recognised as a professional.
    
     Lack of support beyond the job site
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     Our research found this isolation often extended beyond the workplace. Family and friends, who should be a key source of career support, were often unsupportive. Participants described that personal networks questioned the legitimacy of their career choices or treated their work as temporary.
     Several participants shared that family members viewed their career choice as a “waste” of potential. Parents expressed disappointment that they had not pursued university degrees or traditional office-based careers.
     One participant noted that her parents’ disappointment was rooted in a mentality that viewed office work as the only measure of success. Others intentionally delayed telling their parents of their new jobs as trades apprentices because they assumed their families would be disappointed.
     Even within the industry, potential role models sometimes reinforced these beliefs. One apprentice described meeting a female instructor who advised her: “Don’t wear pink…just keep your mouth shut.”
     Another participant was discouraged by her instructor from attending a women-in-trades conference, implying it would be a poor career move and would draw unwanted attention.
    
     Turning to digital communities
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     When in-person support systems failed, many women turned to the digital world. Our research found that private online groups, particularly on Facebook and LinkedIn, have become essential spaces for building the support needed to remain in the trades.
     These online communities offer something job sites often cannot: anonymity and psychological safety. In these spaces, women can ask technical questions, seek advice about workplace dynamics and share experiences without fear of being labelled incompetent or unprofessional. This safety allows them to access knowledge that would otherwise remain closed to them.
     Crucially, these platforms provide validation. When women experience harassment or toxic behaviour, online communities help them distinguish between normal industry hardships and unacceptable abuse.
     One participant described posting in a group about a supervisor’s behaviour. The group confirmed the situation was toxic and immediately shared job postings to help her exit that specific workplace while remaining in the industry in her city. This intervention directly aided her in her decision to remain in the industry.
     Despite persistent stigma, participants found meaning in their work. Many described satisfaction in producing tangible results and valued the physical nature of their labour. For some, the trades offered an escape from unfulfilling desk jobs and a pathway to financial stability that justified enduring difficult environments.
     However, staying requires resilience. Women often succeed by learning how to endure repeated barriers. Online groups provide the emotional fuel for this resilience. They gave women space to recharge in a safe environment before returning to the job site.

     Why retention matters
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     If Canada hopes to replace the 700,000 tradespeople expected to retire this decade, focusing on recruitment is not enough. While attracting new workers is essential, retention is equally critical, particularly for women, who continue to face unique barriers that push them out of the trades prematurely.
     Employers and policymakers need to recognise that the informal networks that have long supported men in the trades often exclude women, particularly those without generational ties to the industry.
     Without these networks, women can struggle to access critical knowledge, guidance and opportunities for professional growth.
     In the absence of these networks, digital communities have emerged as a low-cost, high-impact solution. By acknowledging the value of these networks and integrating them into training, mentorship and support programmes, the skilled trades can begin to address the double stigma women face, and create conditions that will help women to stay in the field. (The Conversation) GRS
GRS

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)