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Despite the fact that women make up 47.5 percent of the U.S. labor force, there are some fields where women, whether by tradition or lack of access, are severely underrepresented. These women are making inroads in some of those fields and finding more success and less resistance in traditionally male-dominated fields.
Boyd Pearman Photography
Ashima Athri, Software Engineer
Ashima Athri, software developer at Rackspace, was educated in Information Technology in India. In America, IT is a traditionally male-dominated industry. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, women represent roughly 20 percent of all software developers.
Ashima Athri, software developer at Rackspace, was educated in Information Technology in India. In America, IT is a traditionally male-dominated industry. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, women represent roughly 20 percent of all software developers.
However, “In India, women actually do gravitate to computer science and electronics fields. We see it as less physical, more mental work. It’s very commonplace for women,” says Athri. And it’s reflected in the makeup of their educational system.
“A lot of effort is given to teaching math and science, not much of a focus on arts and literature, which is why women there don’t even flinch at the idea of going into technical fields. It’s considered a way to advance and achieve a measure of financial security,” says Athri.
After completing her undergraduate studies, she worked at an IT company in India. There she found a supportive environment. “I had a few senior colleagues who really took me under their wing and gave me the practical knowledge that I needed,” she says.
Athri went on to earn her Master’s in Computer Science at Virginia Tech. While there, she took an internship with Rackspace, where she still works as a software developer building applications and APIs over the Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
Despite the perception of women struggling in the tech industry, Athri says, “I don’t think that I’m perceived differently, but I perceive myself differently. It’s that uncertainty that I think anyone in technical or creative fields feel–am I smart enough; can I solve this. It pushes me to learn more instead of getting comfortable.”
She enjoys the creative problem-solving aspect of her work. “It’s not like ‘do this.’ It’s more like facing an open question that you can solve in any way that you want to with the tools and experience that you bring to the table.” But she adds, “You have to have a tolerance for failure. The job moves so fast, you have to learn fast and not fear failure. It’s how you learn in this profession.”
When asked why more women aren’t in the field, Athri responds, “Right now, it’s the place to be and has the most jobs. More women should be here.”
Mary Miller, Director of Regional Acceleration and Mentoring Program (RAMP) & Founder of Interactive Design and Development (IDD)
Growing up with an engineer dad exposed Mary Miller, Director of RAMP, to mathematics at an early age. Her father was a staunch proponent of equality both professionally–while supervising an aircraft assembly line during WWII, he fought for raises for women workers–and in the home, where he encouraged Miller’s love of mathematics.
Growing up with an engineer dad exposed Mary Miller, Director of RAMP, to mathematics at an early age. Her father was a staunch proponent of equality both professionally; while supervising an aircraft assembly line during WWII, he fought for raises for women workers–and in the home, he encouraged Miller’s love of mathematics.
However, as was the experience for many women who chose nontraditional fields in the past, society and the school system weren’t as encouraging.
“In those days, women were still being pushed into traditional areas like teaching and nursing,” says Miller.
As a result, she forewent her Master’s and became a math teacher. In the ‘80s, she took some computer science classes at a local community college. There, she found a mentor.
“I’d go by my professor’s restaurant, a retired NASA programmer, early on Saturday mornings to do extra programming on his TRS80. He encouraged me to do more and more. I’ve been lucky to run into people like him along the way who validated that it’s okay to like what I like,” says Miller.
Her post-graduate work was focused on developing laser disc technology, then in its nascent stage in the early ‘90s. That work was the foundation of Interactive Design and Development (IDD), the technology company she founded. She recalls, “It was a different time. Tech was even more of a male stronghold than it is today. There were women starting companies in the ‘90s, but not tech companies.”
According to TechCrunch, in 2017, only 17 percent of tech startups were founded by women despite the fact that female-led companies do 226 percent better than the S&P 500. Often being the only woman in the room, Miller has had to cope with indignities from printer guys demanding to speak with her boss who would understand the equipment better than she would, to a teacher who tried to put her out of his class because he was convinced that she didn’t know what abstract algebra was. But she persisted.
“I never dealt with it with anger. I used humor and being competent to earn respect and tried to educate those who wanted to get it right,” she says. In her experience, she’s found that, “Women solve problems differently than men. We have a different set of lenses. The strongest teams are always the mixed teams where there is a respect for one another.”
The secret of her success: mentors. From strong family support, to educators who motivated her, to colleagues who pushed her to start her own company, Miller credits much of her success to surrounding herself with people who helped her grow. After running IDD for over 25 years, she now uses her experience to help new tech companies come to life.
As the Director of the Regional Acceleration and Mentoring Program (RAMP), she runs an accelerator that supports high-potential local startups with a mentoring program, networking opportunities, business education and access to capital. And as she looks toward the future, “I’m so excited to see this new generation of women who don’t have themselves in a box, they have a different language in their head.”
Dana Lacy, Master Paramedic & Firefighter
Growing up, Master Paramedic/Firefighter for Roanoke County, Dana Lacy, was attracted to shows like Rescue 911. In the mid-’90s, she followed her interest and became a volunteer Firefighter/EMT. By 1998, she had earned her Paramedic certification.
“The guys I started with in the ‘90s were very welcoming,” Lacy says of her early days in the field.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, there are about 1.1 million firefighters in the U.S. and only seven percent of them are women. Working in the field means responding to a variety of emergencies from fires on the interstate, car wrecks, house fires and brush fires, to mental health issues and domestic situations, to falls, medical calls, heart attacks and accidents.
“No two calls are the same. You have to immediately evaluate the situation and determine how to best treat the patient which may mean carrying a patient downstairs or having to shovel into a snowy driveway. Every day you’re making life or death decisions, and sometimes it’s just holding someone’s hand during their worst time,” says Lacy.
Due to the dangerous and grueling nature of the work, many women don’t pursue the profession. For Lacy, none of that served as a barrier. “You have to work 100 percent harder to get half of the respect,” she admits. But, as a woman, “I bring certain strengths to the table that the team wouldn’t have otherwise. For example, I try to think around the heaviest and hardest way to do something. Some of that is being a woman and some of it comes from experience.”
Aside from technical skills and know-how, Lacy says, “Your best attributes in this job are empathy and compassion. Some may see them as weaknesses, but they’re really strengths. You will care too much and that drives you to be better at what you do.”
To parents raising girls, Lacy advises raising them with the confidence of knowing that they can do whatever they want to do and to not let anyone hold them back.
After over 20 years in the field, Lacy has ascended to the role of Master Paramedic/Firefighter. She not only runs calls, but also participates in training new recruits and is trained in technical large animal rescues. While acknowledging that male bias exists in the field, she also affirms how a strong spirit of hard work and teamwork counteracts it.
“We’re a team, we all depend on each other and the strengths we all bring to the team,” Lacy says. Her biggest complaint often comes from outside of the firehouse. “Still in 2018, some people don’t understand that women can do just about anything and are surprised to see us. Even more surprised is when I see mothers point me out to their children and hesitate, not knowing what to call me. They stumble over their own words, ‘fireman?’”
But known for her humor, she takes it all in stride when she’s hopping in the firetruck and hears someone say, “Are you driving that big old truck?”
She confidently replies, “Sure, why not?”
Rachel King, Welder
Rachel King, welder at Altec, had planned on going into the medical field before her eighth-grade class visited the Burton Center for Arts and Technology in Salem, a Roanoke County public school that focuses on vocational trades like auto service technology, IT, cosmetology, construction arts and other skilled trades. King’s visit changed her mind.
“The welding class was the first one I visited, and I was drawn to it. I liked the idea of being able to create art with it. I didn’t realize you could do that,” she says.
Some of the creative metalwork from Burton students is sold locally to adorn businesses and homes. She spent four years honing the craft of welding at Burton.
“After I got into it, I found that I could make really intricate, interesting things with it,” says King.
During that time, she competed in the Skills USA state competition three times. She won first place with a playground of fully moveable items like people, benches, a sandbox, a seesaw and merry-go-round crafted out of sheet metal.
Welding is a traditionally male-dominated field. Despite the glowing representations of Rosie the Riveter, probably the most famous welder male or female, there was a time where girls weren’t even allowed to take shop classes or train in skilled trades like welding, plumbing,or construction. Today, only 4.1 percent of welders are women, yet the American Welding Society estimates a 290,000 job deficit in welders by 2020.
As to why there aren’t more women in the profession, King says, “I think it’s because a lot of girls don’t realize it’s an option for them.”
Programs like Burton’s are integral in exposing students to well-paying, stable careers in skilled trades–and it was instrumental in King’s success.
“My teacher, Mr. Overfelt, was so helpful and having that leadership was important in keeping me going.”
After Burton, King pursued further training and now works as a full-time welder. In the field, King reports little resistance.
“I haven’t really had any challenges as a woman welder. Some people may hold women welders to a higher standard or assume that we’re more detailed. But I’m held to the same standard as everyone else. A woman may not have the same brawn as a man, but we have the same brains, so I solve problems differently and can contribute unique solutions,” says King.
And for women considering welding as a career, King’s advice is, “Do it! Get in there. Try it out and do it with heart. After my first year, I realized how creative and productive welding was and I want other women to feel that too.”
Mackenzie Powell, Auto Mechanics Student & Drag Racer
Growing up in a racing family made pursuing auto mechanics a natural path for Mackenzie Powell, auto mechanics student and drag racer.
“I went to races all the time with my family when I was young and I’ve been racing since I was eight,” says Powell.
Currently enrolled in an auto mechanics training program, she’s blazing a trail as a woman in what is arguably the field with the lowest representation of females. According to the Department of Labor data, women make up only 1.7 percent of all automotive technicians and mechanics in America. However, they are the number one consumer in the automotive industry.
In addition to a love for the craft, “I wanted to prove that girls can do the same things boys can do,” says Powell. Absent female mentors, Powell gets the majority of her support from her father, who is a mechanic, and the one other woman who is in the program. But it hasn’t been an easy road.
“At school, it’s typical teenage boy stuff. They say stuff like, ‘you should be in the culinary or cosmetology class.’ At the race track, guys will say things like, ‘you’re a girl, I’m going to beat you,’” she says.
And the taunting means questioning herself and her choice. “I usually don’t let it phase me, but sometimes I ask myself, ‘why did I do this?’ It can feel like all I ever do is get brought down, but the competitions and the wins make it worth it,” she shares.
She also gets a sense of accomplishment when her experience and expertise are recognized. “I like it when people ask me if I know what the problem is with an engine because I’ve been doing it the longest–especially when the guys come to me to ask a question because they don’t know how to do something,” she says.
In 2017, Powell competed in the Hot Rodders of Tomorrow Engine Building Competition at the Performance Racing Industry Trade Show in Indianapolis, IN. The competition rates the fastest team to completely remove all of the parts of a standard engine, down to the engine block and completely reassemble it. The competition pitted Powell and her team against teams from all over the country. And her team, sponsored by K&N Filters, finished fourth and placed sixth in the Elite 8 Final competition. Her team scored two perfect engine builds, garnering each team member a $7,500 scholarship.
Next year, she’ll serve as teaching assistant helping new students learn auto mechanics. When she graduates high school, she’ll hit the ground running with ten automotive-related certifications including basic auto mechanics, electrical and steering suspension. She plans on continuing her education and going into the auto aftermarketing or high performance racing fields.
For other girls looking to enter the field, Powell warns, “Auto mechanics isn’t easy for anyone. You really have to work for it to understand it, but for women, it’s all the mental stuff, the name calling, the way you’re treated in the industry,” she says. However, she advises, “Stick with it no matter what anybody says. Focus on the positive, the satisfaction is in doing it even when they say you can’t.”
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