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great deal of positive value to our economy and our society. What
could be more worthy of respect than that?
Myth 6
The skilled trades are only for men
This misconception might just be the most difficult one for the
skilled trades to overcome. For decades, fields like construction,
electrical, plumbing, welding, and even agriculture were thought of
as very “male” career paths. The link between the skilled trades and
both STEM and manual labor—and the fact that young women are
very often not encouraged to pursue either of these things—has
meant that the skilled trades have remained very male-dominated
even into the present.
Certainly, men outnumber women significantly in most segments
of the skilled trades. There is not an agreed-upon statistic, at this
point, to indicate what percentage of skilled trades jobs women