An observation: trades aren't that welcoming toward women, which severely restricts the talent pool. Quoting a 2015 Chicago Tribune article:
Women represent just 4 percent of the workforce in natural resources, construction and maintenance, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Their underrepresentation in such high-paying industries is one key reason that women earn, on average, 78 cents for every dollar a man earns, the agency said.
What would have to happen for this lopsided gender imbalance to change?
I think a big part of it is women just aren't interested in these jobs as much. Not that there isn't harassment, but if you asked most women and men, "do you want to be a welder?", I'm sure far more men than women would say yes.
A big part of it is that many women are interested, but don't like the way they're treated on the job site.
Mine worked for a lawn care company. She hates offices and would rather be outdoors. However, although she liked the actual work, she got sick of being around idiots who thought that since she was a woman she was automatically incapable of getting anything done. The company owner liked her work ethic and even asked her to come back after she quit, but the atmosphere was simply too toxic to be worth it.
Similar things have been said about female coders, founders, and technologists, including in the comments of HN. Yet it's also been demonstrated that women get paid less, have a tougher time advancing, and often experience harassment that males never have to deal with.
And it's also true that women make up a minority of CS students in universities. Discrimination and lack of interest can coexist and both be true reasons why people don't go into/stay in fields.
Women represent just 4 percent of the workforce in natural resources, construction and maintenance, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Their underrepresentation in such high-paying industries is one key reason that women earn, on average, 78 cents for every dollar a man earns, the agency said.
What would have to happen for this lopsided gender imbalance to change?
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-women-in-trades-04...