{"id":42136,"date":"2026-03-15T13:45:49","date_gmt":"2026-03-15T13:45:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/financialrush.com\/?p=42136"},"modified":"2026-03-15T13:45:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-15T13:45:49","slug":"more-women-are-pursuing-the-skilled-trades-here-are-their-stories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/financialrush.com\/?p=42136","title":{"rendered":"More women are pursuing the skilled trades: Here are their stories"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Mounting evidence points to opportunities in the skilled trades<\/a>. And yet, these jobs remain largely a man\u2019s world. <\/p>\n

Despite higher salaries and increasingly valuable long-term employment prospects<\/a> in the face of an\u00a0artificial intelligence<\/a>-driven\u00a0white-collar jobs revolution, women remain significantly underrepresented in the skilled trades, research shows.<\/p>\n

They make up just a fraction of the workforce in industries such as automotive technology, diesel mechanics, plumbing and carpentry. For example, women represented 3.1% each of carpenters and plumbers and 3.5% of electricians employed in the U.S. in 2025, according to the most recent occupational data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe are not where we want to be with a diversified workforce, but we are seeing that number grow,\u201d said Ian Andrews, vice president of labor relations at the National Electrical Contractors Association, a trade group representing the electrical contracting\u00a0industry. Two decades ago, only 1.9% of electricians in the U.S were women, government data shows. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Overall, younger workers are increasingly pursuing careers in the skilled trades<\/a> \u2014 with good reason. A shortage of skilled tradespeople<\/a> has led to more job openings and higher pay among these career-driven pathways. <\/p>\n

But even as experienced workers age out of the field, young men are more likely to fill those spots. Some women have forged ahead anyway. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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More from Women and Wealth:<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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For women, especially, the demand for skilled-trade roles creates opportunities for employment growth and rising salaries, potentially narrowing the gender wage gap<\/a> and strengthening their economic security. <\/p>\n

\u201cWomen that pursue this path are positioning themselves for job security, stability, growth,\u201d said Monster\u00a0career expert Vicki Salemi. \u201cThe possibilities are robust in these fields, and they are often underserved.\u201d<\/p>\n

CNBC spoke to four women in skilled trades. Here\u2019s what they told us about their experiences in the field:<\/p>\n

Cristina Barillas-McEntee, plumber <\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
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Cristina Barillas-McEntee, 55, is a plumber in Chicago.<\/p>\n

Courtesy: Cristina Barillas-McEntee<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Cristina Barillas-McEntee, 55, was working as a makeup artist in Chicago in 1998 when a friend suggested she apply to a local plumbers union for a career with more long-term stability and benefits. <\/p>\n

\u201cI was looking at my life and was like, this is not where I want to be at 60,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

But first she had to take a pay cut. During a five-year apprenticeship program, Barillas-McEntee was making just $9 an hour, she said. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a sacrifice you make for the larger end goal,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen you come out of the apprenticeship, you are a journeyman.\u201d With that certification, the union covers health, dental and vision care as well as her pension. <\/p>\n

Today, Barillas-McEntee earns $56 an hour and plans to retire at 60: \u201cMy retirement is looking good. I\u2019m very happy.\u201d <\/p>\n

After 25 years in the industry, Barillas-McEntee said she now encourages other women to consider a career in a skilled trade. <\/p>\n

\u201cOn most job sites, I\u2019m the only woman,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ve gotten pretty used to it, but it can get pretty lonely.\u201d<\/p>\n

Teagan Hollabaugh, heavy-duty diesel mechanic<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
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Teagan Hollabaugh, 22, works as a diesel mechanic.<\/p>\n

Couresy Teagan Hollabaugh<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI didn\u2019t want to sit behind a desk,\u201d said Teagan Hollabaugh, 22. \u201cI knew I needed something that was very involved to keep me entertained day to day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even before graduating high school, Teagan enrolled in Rosedale Technical College in Pittsburgh. During her on-the-job training, she was offered a position as a diesel mechanic, her field of choice, and secured a job immediately upon completing the program \u2014 a rare feat for younger workers in today\u2019s labor market<\/a>. <\/p>\n

But it is also a career with few other women, she said. \u201cIn my garage currently, I am the only female technician.\u201d<\/p>\n

Without women mentors, there are not a lot of role models for balancing work and family, she said \u2014 and that may limit the long-term potential. <\/p>\n

\u201cI want to stay in the field and use the knowledge, but at the same time, I want to start a family,\u201d Teagan said. \u201cWorking where I work and being in the garage, it\u2019s just not possible for me to be able to do that and do my job at the same time.\u201d <\/p>\n

Lilian<\/strong> Hollabaugh, HVAC installation technician<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
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Lilian Hollabaugh, 22, is a HVAC installation technician.<\/p>\n

Courtesy: Lilian Hollabaugh<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Admittedly, Lilian Hollabaugh said she only became interested in pursuing a skilled trade because her twin sister Teagan finished her technical degree and quickly found a job. After looking at several job training programs, Lilian settled on heating, ventilation and air conditioning, or HVAC. \u201cThis seems like it might be fun,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

However, getting hired wasn\u2019t as easy as she initially expected. \u201cI went dressed like I was going to an interview,\u201d she said, \u201cAnd it was almost like\u2026 they just assumed because I was in nice clothes and I was dressed nice, that I didn\u2019t want anything to do with the field. Everybody kept offering me an office position.\u201d<\/p>\n

Systemic gender barriers stood in her way at the outset, she said. \u201cI definitely do think that it had to do with the fact that I was a girl, and they just thought that it would be a better spot for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s not what Lilian had in mind. \u201cI went to trade school because I want to use my hands. I don\u2019t want to sit behind a desk all day.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Eventually, she was hired as an HVAC installation technician and, in just two years, has risen in the ranks at her company. \u201cI\u2019ve gone from tech one to tech two to tech three, and I\u2019m about to become a crew lead. You move up very fast, and you make more money very fast.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like her sister, Lilian is also the only woman in her workplace, but it doesn\u2019t bother her, she said. \u201cI kind of like being the only girl at my company, because I\u2019ve earned a great amount of respect.\u201d<\/p>\n

She also sees a future for herself in the field, even as other industries face AI-driven layoffs or even a jobs apocalypse<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s always going to be a need for the job that we do,\u201d she said. \u201cRobots are never going to be able to do what we do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Raelee<\/strong> Nicholson, diesel technician <\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
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Raelee Nicholson, 25, is a diesel technician.<\/p>\n

Courtesy: Raelee Nicholson<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Instead of going to college, Raelee Nicholson, 25, went straight to technical school after graduating from high school, largely driven by concerns about the rising cost of a four-year degree and mounting student loan debt<\/a>. It\u2019s a sentiment causing more students to rethink the value of college<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the debt-to-pay ratio works better after a trade school, rather than the debt you acquire during a four- or six- or eight-year college program,\u201d she said. Her parents supported this decision, she added. <\/p>\n

Although Nicholson took out a loan to pay for trade school, she has less debt than she would have if she\u2019d borrowed to pay for a four-year degree, she said. Plus, her current position pays well and provides long-term financial benefits, Nicholson added. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was nice being able to make a decent income right out of trade school,\u201d she said. \u201cI have a retirement [account] that I am able to add to every two weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nicholson, who has now worked in the field for about seven years, says she enjoys the hands-on job and expects to stick with it. \u201cI\u2019m going to be in this career for a while, just because I\u2019ve been progressing and putting all my time and effort into it,\u201d Nicholson said. <\/p>\n

\u201cBeing a woman in a male-dominated field, we\u2019re normally still the minority,\u201d she said. \u201cHowever, people don\u2019t really seem to look at you much differently. You\u2019re there to do a job.\u201d <\/p>\n

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