Legal Momentum's Francoise Jacobsohn joined Elly Spicer, of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters Local 608, Wendy Webb, a member of the Laborers International Union of North America, and Denise Doyle, the first and only female delegate of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, to speak with Laura Flanders about how jobs in the trades can help women overcome gender wage gap that plagues many working women.
Currently, women account for seven out of every ten of the nation's low-wage workers. Jobs in construction and other skilled trades offer women more than just a paycheck: becoming an apprentice carpenter or painter puts women on the path from poverty to properity. Through enrolling in an apprentice program with a local union, women have access to a stable career, economic security, and financial independence.
With women comprising only four percent of skilled laborers though, and discrimination and harassment still common on job sites, Legal Momentum -- with women like Elly, Wendy and Denise -- is working to see that unions, contractors, and goverment agencies ensure that women have equal access to these important opportunities, and an equal chance at success once they get there.
Check out GRITtv's "Is the Gender Gap Growing?" for the full conversation.
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