After being told for years that the trades desperately needed women, one aspiring worker says she gave it everything she had.
She trained. She applied. She showed up. And the industry responded with closed doors and indifference.
In a Reddit post, a woman shared her frustration after spending years trying to break into trade work with almost no success.
“I’ve been trying to get into trades because I believed what people told me, that they needed people,” she wrote.
“I then proceeded to fumble for work for YEARS with nothing but a couple months of trash picker to my name.”
Women Share Their Experiences
Her experience isn’t unique. Thousands of women flooded the comment section to share their own stories of rejection, discrimination and blatant sexism in trade jobs.
Many echoed the sentiment that while the industry talks a big game about needing women, the reality on the ground is much different.
“I quit construction because I was so othered and harassed for being a woman that I started getting physically sick going to work,” one person wrote.
“I also made a dollar less than the kid who had less experience than I did.”
Another woman, who went to school for precision manufacturing, said she was told she should expect at least $24 an hour doing CNC work.
But the only job she got was as a deburrer, doing menial work that, in her words, “someone with no experience in anything ever could do.”
“My boyfriend also did the same program. Got a job as an EDM operator and multiple calls from CNC companies,” she added.
“I helped make and edit his resume for him. He started off with 25.”
Toxic Culture and Gatekeeping
Some said the issue was deeper than just hiring practices. They pointed to a toxic culture that still dominates much of the trades.
“Trades have been plagued by antisocial people for decades,” one woman said. “Most people I know who work trades are toxic and addicts.”
Others described being actively pushed out of the workplace.
“I was asked to train a man who got the job I should have been a shoe-in for. He didn’t know anything. I trained him, without extra pay, without a promotion. I left 6 months later feeling so dejected and worthless,” one woman shared.
Advice from Those Who Pushed Through
Despite the setbacks, many still believed in the value of the trades. But they urged others to approach it strategically.
Several women advised joining unions, moving to more progressive areas, or starting female-led businesses to bypass the worst of the gatekeeping.
“Join a union. Sisters are always welcome,” one woman said.
Another added, “Make your own woman-owned company with woman employees.”
The original poster ended her post with a direct message: “F*** anyone who told me trades need women, what a joke.”
And yet, the overwhelming response to her frustration wasn’t dismissal. It was understanding.
It was solidarity. And it was filled with one clear takeaway: the trades might say they need women, but unless the culture changes, the door will keep slamming shut.