Given the difficult life circumstances Elizabeth “Ellie” Navarro has had to deal with, it’s a wonder she’s so upbeat.
Growing up, the 19-year-old Pawtucket native was changed public schools several times before dropping out of high school, and she saw friends struggle with trauma, crime and incarceration.
Navarro didn’t want to let her past define her future but was unsure of what her future held. She knew she preferred physical activity to the types of low-wage jobs that are often the only option for those without a college degree.
“I only had time on my hands,” she said. “I wanted anything but the streets. And I didn’t want to wait for something to just come along. I’m a ‘now’ person.”
Navarro attended a recent panel discussion at the Pawtucket Public Library hosted by Anita Bruno, executive director of Rhode Island Women In The Trades.
A union carpenter turned advocate, Bruno implored the dozen or so attendees to consider the opportunities offered by the building trades, which offer some of the highest wages for those without a college education.
It’s not been an easy task to get more women involved in the field.
The self-described “union girl” with close to 20 years of experience as a carpenter, Bruno has witnessed both the opportunities provided and the occasional ugliness of punching a clock in a male-dominated sector.
The trades have a long-established association with class solidarity. But Bruno says the reality in Rhode Island often falls short of that vision. She still sees evidence the industry has yet to rid itself of an old boys’ club mentality.
“The solidarity is lacking,” she said. “There are still so many barriers.”
According to a study by National Center for Construction Education and Research, nearly half of women polled said they’d been the target of derogatory comments or improper jokes on the job site.
One consequence is the industry’s reputation can discourage interfamily recruitment. Parents, uncles, aunts and cousins are less likely to encourage female relatives to enter the trades.
A recent study found 60% of female construction workers between the ages of 28 and 40 have alleged to be the targets of harassment. Bruno has experienced hassling from male co-workers, and she has seen female colleagues face retaliation for speaking up.
“It’s up to us to make the environment as healthy as possible so they stay,” she said.
In Rhode Island, women fill less than 10% of the jobs in the trades and less than 3% of field construction work, according to the R.I. Department of Labor and Training.
Bruno says there are about 26 women among the 1,826 union carpenters, and about the same number for iron workers, electricians and engineers.
Bruno thinks union leadership in the state and nationally doesn’t advertise enough or market the training opportunities for women. There’s still a perception there are certain jobs they cannot do.
“They are not reaching out to a variety of pipelines,” she said, acknowledging that there has been a noticeable spike in women in management roles. “There are still not enough boots on the ground.”
And boots will be needed. Last October, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo announced the “Million Women in Construction” initiative to double the number of women in the field by 2032. The trades are projected to be a growth industry over the next decade, accelerated in Rhode Island by the millions being poured into infrastructure, housing and green energy.
“There is a lot of work coming down the pike,” Bruno said.
But workers in the sector are also aging. Those 55 and older represented 27.3% of the construction workforce in 2021, up from 11.4% in 2001.
Advocates say the best way to convince women there is a life in the trades is to live by example. Meagen Hendricks, construction manager for Inspire Brands LLC’s national remodel program, including all the Dunkin’ Donuts locations, makes six figures and has traveled the world. She is also president of the National Association of Women in Construction’s Rhode Island chapter.
“The work is hard but rewarding and can be a lucrative opportunity that can open doors to many different avenues,” she said.
Finding a healthy work-life balance in a male-dominated field remains a hurdle.
“Child care availability doesn’t often coincide with the hours at a job site, which can be a huge challenge,” she said. “More companies are starting to offer more flexibility. However, we still have a long way to go.”
Among those helping is Annie Unger, director of operations and manufacturing at the Jane Addams Resource Corp., which recently partnered with Polaris MEP to open a job training center in Providence.
She said 50% of their trainees are women.
“The trades are booming,” Unger told attendees at the panel discussion in Pawtucket. “They need employees. They need you right now.”
Navarro didn’t attend the panel discussion to get information but to offer wisdom to girls and young women interested in the trades.
She recently graduated from the charter school YouthBuild Preparatory Academy in Providence and is now entering a pre-apprentice program run by the nonprofit Building Futures. She wants to be a carpenter, just like Bruno, who has become her mentor.
“Where I’m from, [girls] do want more for themselves,” she said. “And I’m big on support. I want to tell them it’s OK to be firm and strong.”
