More U.S. Women in Traditionally Male Jobs

Dec. 29, 2004 -- Arlene Berger is a registered nurse, but she gave up caring for the sick 10 years ago when she decided to follow her dream to "build things."

"I guess when all the boys were building with their little Tonka toys and everything else and girls couldn't play with them, it was just something I always wanted to do," she said. "I loved putting things together."

Berger, 52, is now the proud owner of "Heavenly Hammers," a home remodeling and repair company in Waterford, Conn. She does everything — carpentry, nailing heavy sheetrock, plastering, painting, putting in plumbing, and electrical wiring.

"At the end of the day, to see your accomplishments and know that you made somebody's life a little easier is worth the hard work," she said.

Berger is an example of a new trend in the U.S. labor force, women conquering fields that had once been denied them. Until as late as the last decade many well-paying, high-status jobs that were widely considered "for men only."

But a five-year study by the Center for Women's Business Research has discovered that the fastest-growing segment of female entrepreneurship is in nontraditional fields for women — construction, manufacturing, transportation and communication. While women owning retail stores, beauty salons, and consulting services increased 37 percent, women owning construction and trucking companies went up 50 percent.

"You can find a woman to do your environmental cleanup," said Sharon Hadary, director of the Research Center. "You can find a woman to engineer, design and build your shopping center. You can find a woman to transport your goods around the world."

Mechanically Inclined, Gender Regardless

What brought about the change? Hadary says it was the recognition that women could be leaders combined with a new attitude by banks. They began issuing bigger lines of credit to women who wanted to start cash-intensive businesses.

In Cape May, N.J., Lora Iaconis owns the Quik Lube Auto Repair Shop, where she juggles keeping the books with rotating tires. Her auto mechanic father began teaching her how to repair cars when she was just 11 years old.

She thinks other women should try it. "If they are mechanically inclined, it is a good trade," she said. "It's wonderful and it can be financially very rewarding."

Both Iaconis and Berger are successful and making good money, but they say they still face gender discrimination. "Many men," said Iaconis, "don't trust my ability to do the job."

However, the women point out it doesn't matter, because there are so many women who do trust their ability and want to hire them.