As a young woman, working in a male-dominated field and for a company with over 33,000 employees can be overwhelming. It is not unusual to find myself in situations where men think they can walk all over me because I am a woman. I quickly stand up for myself knowing that working in what seems to be a “man’s job” should not mean that I am disrespected.
I work as a flagger for an international tree trimming company, and many of my job duties are physically labor intensive and part of why it is a male-dominated field. I have received a wide variety of reactions, especially turned heads, but seeing these looks only motivate me to keep working hard at a job I love.
But this has not always been my reaction.
When I started my flagging career in April of 2012, I would have never thought I could be where I am today. Because I am a woman, gaining the respect of my coworkers has been a challenge. There have been scenarios where I try to share my experiences to advise my peers on how to best handle a situation, but they took it as a grain of salt and dismissed me—not because I didn’t know what I was talking about, but because they did not have the same respect for me as they would for another man. These situations broke me. They made me question myself and my ability to do the job I know how to do.
But as time has gone on, I have realized my own abilities are not determined by others’ underestimation. I have nothing to prove to anyone but myself. I am proud of the work I do, and that is what matters. A year and a half in my job, I started training new flaggers, and every day I clock out feeling great about myself and my work knowing I have taught someone else how to do the job I love.
My advice to women out there struggling in a male-dominated field: have patience. There are strong-willed and stubborn people out there, and just because we work with them does not mean we have to be friends with them. There are some people who love their job and work their hearts out, and others who don’t. We cannot let their bad attitudes and judgment take us down with them. Try your best to be understanding, taking a step back to imagine what they have been through that has fed their negativity. Opening our minds to view these people not as the enemy, but as humans helps provide us with patience and love for them. Then when it is all said and done, we know we have done the best we can, and others’ opinions can only change that if we let them.