Equality is an ongoing struggle in the world where the female population is struggling for its right in terms of equal opportunity, equal pay, and equal employment. Even though the struggle continues, females are still finding their way in a male-dominated industry as well.
Industries like engineering, plumbing, construction, etc., are still male-dominated, and women have to fight their way through the injustice if they want to make it to the industry. The fight is not just related to landing a job but fighting the conceptions that people have regarding female employees and entrepreneurs.
Let me ask you, are you more likely to ask for a male plumber or a female plumber? Or let me rephrase who would you trust more to fix your plumbing issues? Your answer would subconsciously be a male.
So, to make your clients trust you as a female plumber, there are a few things that might help you build your business. Also, you should know that according to daily mail’s UK statistics, women now represent 5.7% of trade workers, which can be seen as progress compared to previous years.
Here are a few things that you need to keep in mind to be a successful female plumber.
5 Tips to Succeed as A Female Plumber
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Get the Right Education and Training
Did you know, Plumbing is a great profession, with earnings reaching approximately $53,910 per year? So, it is a great career path for you to invest in, irrespective of your gender. But to succeed in any profession, you first need to get the right education and training regarding the profession.
So, if plumbing is the right profession for you or you are passionate about it, the only thing you require is a GED degree, and then you can easily enroll yourself in a program. Many states and countries offer quality trading programs that can give you just the right training and skillset to become a plumber.
Another way you can get training is through apprenticeship. That is working with a plumbing company to get training. In this, you will work with trained professionals; it’s the best training and real-life experience you will get and help you become a successful female plumber.
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Be Physically prepared
The common conception or myth is that females do not have the strength to take care of tasks that need physical strength, and sometimes in plumbing, you do need strength to fix and disassemble things.
Being a plumber means that you need to be physically active constantly. This means that you would probably have to do some physical lifting and move etc. If you are not in shape, you are probably going to have a tough time doing this.
So, keep yourself active and in shape when it comes to physical fitness so you can become a successful female plumber.
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Get Your License and Have Supportive Staff
Once you have the right education and training, you need to first get a license that will authorize you to work legally and be a plumber. Licensing requirements vary as per your location and state’s requirement.
Next, you need to have a supportive staff as well. You might face a lot of gender-biased employees looking down on you or pulling your leg. You need to be strong, however, and assert your training and skill. And if you are in a managing position, you need to have a staff that supports you, motivates you, respects you, listens to you for you to work in a positive environment.
A lot of females leave their jobs due to unsupportive staff, which is why the struggle is ongoing for a lot of women in the trading and plumbing industry. Take a look at the plumbing industry trends in the USA
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Perseverance and Friendliness
Perseverance is the key to success in any industry or career. If you work hard, you can conquer anything and any bias in this world. All you need to do is stay strong and keep working at it. As a female plumber, you will need to persevere through discrimination, unfair practices, client bias, etc.
If you are friendly with a positive attitude who can convey to your clients or employees that you have the right knowledge and skillset, you can win clients over.
For example, the first questions usually plumbers ask is what the issue is, and then they ask if the homeowners have the gas safety certificate for the property. If they don’t, as a plumber, you can suggest them to get one, and recommend registered businesses.
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Mental Strength and Stability
Last but not least, you need to focus on your mental strength and stability. Since plumbing is a male-dominated industry, you need to be mentally strong and sharp enough to fight all these biases against women to become successful.
While the rates of women in the trade and plumbing sector are increasing, we still see a lot of discrimination that women have to fight against. This discrimination can come from your own family and friends, employees, or even clients. You need to face this and fight it off with your knowledge, training, and perseverance.
And you can only do this if you are mentally prepared to face the challenge.
Become The Female Plumber You Dreamed of With Confidence
In conclusion, I would just like to say that becoming a female plumber requires passion and courage. Mainly because of gender inequality in this industry. The tips we mentioned in the article will help you become a successful plumber. You only need to take care of the right education, training, licensing, support staff, and also, you need to make sure you have that you have the right physical and mental strength that is needed to become a successful plumber.
It is the year 2021, yet we, unfortunately, have to find gender inequality; however, a lot of women are taking the lead in various industries, which also include plumbing.