Plymouth women shock people just by doing their jobs

Plymouth women are hitting back at people who stereotype their work and say ‘it’s only for men’.

It comes after a comment left by a reader on an article a few weeks ago, which discussed our reaction to a London school renaming ‘Head Girl’ to ‘Head of School’ caused uproar for suggesting women are incapable of having some jobs, especially jobs in construction.

The reader said: “Men can do anything that a woman could do, apart from giving birth, but not the other way around, it’s all about physicality, it’s a fact! I have yet to see a female scaffolder or bricklayer!”

Recap: Why being a Head Boy or Head Girl is outdated, from a former ‘Head Girl’

After reading this comment, we put a call-out to hear from women in ‘male-dominated professions’ and those challenging the stereotypes – and it didn’t take us long to hear from women working in typically male-dominated industries without thinking twice about it!

Among them is a female marine engineer who is seen as “small and weak” – but only on shore – and a female dryliner who shocks people just by showing up to work.

Here’s what they told us about their day-to-day work and what it’s like being a woman in a typically male-dominated field:

Do you surprise people just for doing your job? Share your story in the comments

‘It tends to be older people that are surprised to see me, a woman, in the construction industry’

Mutley resident Amy Dannan is a dryliner working in Plymouth and Exeter. She builds internal and external walls, installs access hatches and door linings and has even fire-proofed some buildings.

But whilst some other construction workers and managers are surprised to see her, a 24-year-old woman, rock up to their sites, they quickly learn that just because Amy is female, doesn’t mean she’s any weaker or less capable than her male counterparts.

“Sometimes when I go to work on a site, people seem to think I can’t do things by myself. They ask: ‘do you need a hand with that?’

“But I’m perfectly fine! They don’t ask the men – they’re just all completely shocked I have muscles and know what I’m doing,” she said.

“A lot of people have been surprised [to see me on a construction site]. I have been working in the trade for two years, started studying for my NVQ in Interior Systems Installations this year to be a qualified dry liner but have been more than playing my part these two years!

“In a nutshell, I build walls – internal and external – and ceilings. I install access hatches, door linings and have done fire protection works in a building too.

“In terms of physicality, all plasterboard I lift has the weight of it on the back, I carry many boards ranging between 27-50kg a time both up stairs and up walls to fix, I always help scaffolders, too!

“I think it’s crazy that some men [don’t think women can do this work] – there are more women in construction than people think!”

Amy, 24, has always been interested in working in the construction industry and as a child, she saw building things as an exciting challenge and a way of putting things together “like a really big puzzle”.

“When I was younger, I wanted to be a builder, I just knew I wanted to build houses and stuff! she joked. “I didn’t know what any of it was, I just knew it was what I wanted to do – it looked fun.”

Her intrigue only deepened as she got older and while working in a coffee shop, she realised she really wanted to jump in the deep end and try her hand at working in the construction industry.

She soon enrolled on an apprenticeship course to get the experience and training she was looking for and quickly impressed colleagues and mentors alike, including supervisor Justin Kelso who has “always supported and encouraged” her development, she says.

But some other construction workers – and members of the public – have been left surprised to see Amy working on a construction site.

And they’re even more surprised to see her strength and ability – often surpassing her colleagues.

“Whilst getting on with my own instructed works on multiple sites, I’ve always been clearing up jobs for other men that don’t build things correctly,” Amy said. “I have been told by some men that drylining for them is ‘hard going’ and that they couldn’t do it!”

Whilst drylining is not easy, Amy says, she finds it frustrating when people presume she will struggle with a task – or simply incapable and too weak – just because she’s female.

“I only know one other girl on the apprenticeship in Drylining, it’s not easy, but we can do it.

“It tends to be older people that are surprised by me – they struggle to get out of their head the thoughts they had when they were younger [that women don’t belong in the construction industry]. Younger people aren’t too bad!”

Amy would love to see more women in drylining jobs and in the wider construction industry.

Interestingly, whilst other people often reminded her that she’s a woman working in a typically male-dominated field, she just chooses to focus on the job she’s doing.

“The first thing I say to people is not to think of it as male-dominated, just see it as a job! It’s not a man’s world, it’s just a world and we’re all it. We don’t need to label it,” she said.

‘If you’re on ship no-one questions you – but I’ve encountered sexism on the shore’

For bosun (ship’s officer) and former marine engineer and fishing boat deckhand Chrissy Santic Linford, people’s expectations of her work depend on the environment she’s in.

When working away on-ship, no-one questions her ability to do her jobs. But when back on shore, some people are stunned to hear she’s an engineer and don’t expect her to be qualified or capable.

“I absolutely loved the work but I’m a known workaholic!” Chrissy joked. “I get satisfaction from a really hard graft and knowing you’ve earned your paycheck – it’s very demanding physically and mentally.”

She said: “The only time I’ve encountered sexism is on-shore. If you’re on ship no one questions you because of your gender, race, height, weight – none of that matters. If you are there it means you can do your job -otherwise you wouldn’t be there as it’s highly competitive and you need everyone pulling their weight as it’s dangerous work!”

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“I’ve found most of those who question if you can do a role due to your gender have a stereotypical view,” she added. “[They think] men are big and strong and women are small and weak.

“I’ve met 7 stone men and 17 stone women who could lift an ox! But these people seem to think there is only one ‘type’.”

Chrissy, 34, doesn’t let stereotypes or others’ expectations bother her, simply because she knows her capabilities.

She said: “I don’t bother have a chip on my shoulder because I know I can do my job (usually better than those questioning me) and I remind them to ‘work smart not hard’. If I can’t lift something I use the resources around me. It’s pretty simple!”

“I think when people are doing their jobs properly they don’t have time to worry about what gender the other person is!

“Maybe people on shore have too much time on their hands!” she joked.

‘I’m proud to fly the flag for women – but people are surprised to see me when I show up a their doorstep’

Plymouth woman Tracy Perkin regularly surprises people in Plymouth – just by showing up at their front door when they call for a plumber.

After working for a plumbers’ merchant for more than 20 years, Tracy decided she wanted to train as plumber herself and soon enrolled on an apprenticeship course with LiveWest, the largest housing association in the South West.

Speaking ahead of National Apprenticeship Week earlier this year, Tracy said she is proud to fly “the flag for women” in the trade.

“I often get that look of surprise when I knock on the door of one of our customers,” she said. “People generally expect a male to arrive and that’s perfectly understandable.

“Our customers are great, and I get lots of comments about how fantastic it is that a woman has come to look at their boiler.”

Tracy thinks that it will “take time” for the industry to change, but she hopes that over time, other people will consider changing a career path, without conforming to stereotypes.

” I don’t fit the normal apprentice demographic,” she said. “One, I’m 40 and two, the course that I’m doing is normally done predominantly by men. The plumbing trade has always been male-dominated and it will take time for that to change.

“I guess I am flying the flag for women. What I hope it will do is make people think and consider a career path regardless of gender and age.

“Luckily for me, LiveWest don’t hold any barriers and welcome people whatever their age or gender.”

For more about Tracy Perkin and how her apprenticeship is preparing her for work in the industry, read our interview with her.

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