Kerry Parslow, Electrician, Pittsburgh, PA

I rarely had trouble with anti-female issues in the field because the guys I worked with quickly realized I would not only carry my own weight but would volunteer for some odious jobs that many of them did not like and also mentor the apprentices.

As is usually the case, I had to work twice as hard to be considered half as good in some situations, but eventually I built a reputation for being a good co-worker and a skilled trades-person.

I was never hired or promoted to meet a quota (in fact my first employer didn't initially want to interview me because they had already met their female participation quota, but I persuaded him to give me a shot and he hired me on the spot during our interview. But I do feel that affirmative action mandates and quotas are an important factor in increasing female inclusion in the building trades, which are among the few types of employment where women are more or less guaranteed to get the same pay for the same work.

There are no "pink collar" jobs in the blue collar trades. It is significant that women make up a larger proportion of worker in Europe. In fact at one time I believe all the crane operators in Sweden were women!

Electricians are the most educated and arguably the most skilled and necessary workers on most sites -- I have always felt that we have a responsibility to set an example of more dignified and civilized behavior amongst the trades. Most of the electrical contractors I have worked have seen things this way -- we need more of that. What is most important is convincing the employers that hiring women is an economic plus for them in the long run, not a problematic compromise that might result in more paperwork and fears of lawsuits and harassment issues. It is most important to up the percentage of female representation in the field -- then the discriminatory issues and the testosterone poisoned atmosphere on the job site will die a natural death.

The fact that there are severe shortages of experienced people at upper levels in the electrical field right now may wake some employers up to the advisability of being more inclusive expanding their resource pool by hiring and promoting women. Now that I am retired and no longer want to work I am being bombarded with offers -- the lack of talented PM's and estimators seems to be a real crisis in the electrical field right now.

I would argue that women make better PM's due to their natural ability to see the big picture, to put outcome before ego and our innate skill at compromise and communication. And female spatial and conceptual abilities and attention to detail make us excellent estimators. My close bid margins became so legendary at one point that some competing contractors would joke when we all showed up for public openings that if I was submitting a bid I had prepared they might as well tear theirs up and go home.

Education, Professional Certifications and Auxiliary Skills

● University of Pittsburgh, B.S. Geology/Anthropology (1980)

● 1200 hours classroom training Electrical Wiring, Bidwell Training Center

● Completed field and classroom hours for Electrical Journeyman classification

● Registered Electrician in Pennsylvania since 1981, not current but renewable

Education, Professional Certifications and Auxiliary Skills (continued)

● B.O.C.A. certified Electrical Inspector

● Computer literate on both Windows and MacOS platforms. Trained and proficient with

construction-related software including Primavera P3, MS Project, estimating software

from Accubid, McCormick, Estimation and AspenTech/Icarus; all MS Office programs

and some CADD

● Previous FBI and NRC security clearances for work on nuclear research facilities

● Familiar with NFPA, NEC and OSHA codes and regulations

● Trained, safety certified and experienced with most hand and power tools and the

utilization of construction equipment including scaffolds, hydraulic lifts, powder- actuated tools, compressed gases and ladders

● Competent in use of all construction operation and design documents including prints,

shop drawings and the formats for CS16 specifications, Work Breakdown Structure

(WBS) and CPM scheduling

● Experienced in the development and mitigation of construction claims and disputes both

as a contractor representative and as a consultant to Counsel

● Red Cross First Aid and CPR training (due for annual renewal)

● Moderate competence in written and spoken Spanish and German

#helping #donations