PHOENIX — The changing face of trade workers - more and more women are picking up their tools and showing that jobs like construction are not just for men.
All over the country, including right here in Arizona, women are breaking through the glass ceiling and building a space for themselves, and it's helping future generations of females at the same time.
You could say they have a certain spark about them — nerves of steel and undeniable strength. These are members of Iron Workers Local 75, and while this may seem like your average training class, these workers represent a trend in the trade experts say can't be ignored.
"This is not just a man's world anymore," explains Jenna Kramer, a mother of two who is two years into her apprenticeship.
Kramer is one of these women welders. She is part of a growing number of females who are becoming ironworkers and entering other trades.
As a little girl, Kramer thought of becoming a veterinarian and even took nursing classes, but never thought she'd enter ironworking.
"Not in a million years!" she told ABC15. "My mom was surprised, but she definitely supported me."
Kramer says she also never experienced any push-back on the job site from her male colleagues.
"I don't because I show up, I am focused, I work just as hard as those guys, and do just as much as they do."
And Kramer isn't the only one - not by a long shot. At Local 75, union leaders say each apprenticeship class has a few women. But this year, the apprenticeship class has a few dozen women, which is the most they've ever seen.
But it's not all that surprising if you look deeper at recent data. According to the Institute for Women's Policy Research, the number of females entering the trades in the past five years has increased by about a third.
"They just want to have good careers and they want to support their families," says Kramer.
But it's not about the salary or the title or the benefits for Kramer. She says the most important part is being a part of history and building something bigger than herself.
"We are building America. That is our signature motto."
And at the same time, she's building a path forward for the female ironworkers of the future.
"I hope they can look at me and be inspired. And be like if she can do it, I can do it."
