Public Employee Press

Media Beat: Video Review
Pioneer women in blue-collar jobs

Simple lack of knowledge about the opportunities joins with continuing discrimination to explain why there are still so few women in lucrative, skilled blue-collar occupations such as welding, machinery, construction and engineering.

The eleven videos in the “Her Own Words” series provide a potent source of images and information to close that information gap about women in nontraditional occupations — where women make up under 25 percent of the workforce.

Each 15-minute video combines powerful photographs of the women at work with narration by women speaking calmly and confidently, in their own words, about their jobs. “Work Talk” and “Women in Nontraditional Careers” provide excellent overviews.

“You spend much of your life at work — more time than with your family. If you don’t find something you like, you’re going to be miserable. Keep looking until you find it,” says one. The message is that women don’t have to stay in the traditional roles.

Former secretaries, day care workers and waitresses all speak confidently about their work and why they like it.

The series underscores the excitement and growth potential of a career change. The incentives include the variety of nontraditional careers, built-in career ladders, on-the-job training and the money.

In “Women in Highway Construction,” a laborer speaks about money as her lure. “What made me decide I wanted to do this work? I’ll be honest. It was the money…And don’t forget, the money’s good.”

“Women in Machinery” opens with photos of grinders and gauges, tools, drills and meters. Machinist Veronica Ramos speaks as photos show her engaged in her work. “I got to try it and I was good at it,” she says. “I love the skill and I don’t mind getting dirty. I had great teachers. Try it, you’ll surprise yourself. Nothing’s impossible. Any woman could do it.”

The sense that women, all kinds of women, can enter strange new work environments, master these alien skills, and find great satisfaction is conveyed throughout the series. “The average woman would amaze herself at what she can do,” says a construction laborer. The self-confidence that accumulates over time from gaining competency, holding their own, advancing and bringing home “man-sized” paychecks is evident in each video.

The series was produced by Jocelyn Riley in Madison, WI. For more information, you can visit the Web site at www.herownwords.com. Eight of the videos are available at the DC 37 Ed Fund Library.

— Jane LaTour