Part 8 – Ladie Tradies, the idea that turned into a mission!

Not sure when it was but one day I woke up with an epiphany! What do people do that are afraid of the males when they want a trade in their home? Where do you go if you want a female trade? I researched different options, but sole female trades are hard to find.

What happens if you’re are a domestic violence victim? Been ‘gay bashed’? Raped? A single occupant of your home – your sanctuary? A victim of crime? Racially vilified? How many times do you cross the street to avoid people covered in tattoos and piercings as you feel intimidated? Does yellow hi-vis trigger you due to PTSD?

99% of the time you call upon a trade you end up with a male… and don’t get me wrong I am not saying that there is anything wrong with male trades, but people’s life experiences may and do influence individual’s perceptions of men that are not known to them.

This idea I threw around to a few people and I got the response of why isn’t this readily available – female trades? And the answer is yes, they are readily available but mostly sole proprietors part time or the odd one or two part of a company which is very few and far between. Why is this?

Over the last few months, I have spoken to many people in relation to this. The comments and personal stories have been eye opening to say the least. Now I would have thought that in today’s society, 2022, we have moved forward to be accepting of all sorts of appreciations in how the world is changing – but apparently not!

We have come so far with different diversities and even though society doesn’t fully accept all changes, the government has altered legislation to allow these multiplicities to have rights. It is against the law to bully, harass and discriminate against individuals in the workplace, in which I am specifically writing about now. So why is it still happening and why do these individuals that have been given permission to voice and report the harassment go unnoticed and swept under the carpet when reported?

I can’t answer this question without an ongoing debate and this blog doesn’t have the word count for, but my point is…. there are very few females in trades as they have either not completed their 4-year apprenticeship or they had very thick skin, completed their qualification and now work in female roles as the bullshit they had to put up with was not worth following their dream. This to me is deplorable!

As Antz Ladie Tradies develops, the cause has more meaning – on both sides of this coin. There is a consumer need and a supplier need – people needing female trades, female trades needing a safe and healthy workplace. How can something so basic be so complicated?

This ‘mission’ of mine is to prove that women are strong players in today’s society, and this is not about a feminist communist party or a man hating gang recruitment strategy – just a stance that women are as good as men and there are no limitations with what females can achieve anymore – we are not trying to prove we are better, we just want to give our dreams a go and not have to fight a war of political correctness and stereotype – just do what we love to do!