The current issue of the Welding Journal has an editorial by Ms. Nancy Cole, the new president of the American Welding Society. Ms. Cole presents the case for more welders being needed in the foreseeable future and that women are an underutilized resource in the welding field. Occupying only 6% of welding related jobs and only 2% of actual welding jobs, I would agree that is certainly underutilized. The AWS' This Week In Welding also had an article promoting women welders and Lincoln Electric has come out with a line of work gear specifically for women. It carries the Jessi Combs' name on the gear. Apparently Ms. Combs does some television work but since I don't normally watch any type of reality TV, with the exception of the crazy cajuns making duck calls, I haven't run across her. I do have a few women in my classes this semester. Not much of a stretch here, but I would predict that the 2% figure will be steadily increasing in the next few years. If they can go into combat, no reason they can't go into welding.
And for the Traveling Pirate, the editorial that prompted this post mentioned Rosie the Riveter, which everyone has heard of, but also Barbara the Brazer. Figuring that would be a good photo to post, I ran a search and found nothing. That may make it two for Shop Teacher Bob versus the internet.
3 comments:
Don't forget "Ollie the oxy welder"... Yeah, I made that up. My Grandma "Ollie" used oxy-hyrdogen for welding aluminum airplane fuel tanks in WWII... Wish I'da known that a lot sooner, I could have learned all sorts of neat tricks from her. Seems like she was very good at her job too. I even have a sister in law that I think certified as a welder through Job Corps, although she doesn't currently weld.
I didn't have any lady welders among my relatives but I did have an aunt who ran a lathe during the war. Since they removed the barriers to an equal education with Title IX in 1972, you would have thought there would be more young ladies taking shop classes in the 40 years since. Probably should have had all the Grandma Ollies give those young girls a pep talk.
Kudos on the 2 to 0 lead!
I remember when I took your evening welding class feeling like it was the one hand-eye thing that that I felt I didn't completely suck at. If I remember right, you mentioned there was some evidence out there that female welders tended to have a steadier hand.
I still have those plates around here somewhere. I can't dance. I can't throw. I can't catch. But, I wasn't too shabby at the welding plates.
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