Hard-Hatted Women

I was looking through the used books on Amazon the other day and found a book that I thought I'd share: Hard-Hatted Women, edited by Molly Martin. Now, usually I am searching for "how to" repair books or green design books to add to the library, but I just happened to stumble on this one and thought I would read through it since it somewhat pertains to me...

If you hadn't guessed, it's a book of true stories about women in the trades. It was published in 1988, so a little outdated, but I was surprised how many things in the trades are still the same! Of course it talked about sexual and verbal harassment from co-workers/superiors/customers, but it also talked about the idea of women entering into a man's domain, how difficult it is mentally to traverse that path, and the excitement of possessing a useful skill.

Anyway, all this to say that I am reminded time again of the need for training women for entering in building trades. With the high drop out rates here in Buffalo, combined with the high rates of teen pregnancy, it just makes sense to give a young woman a skill which she can use to support her new family. (Of course it is equally important to engage young men and teach them skills as well, but that is not the topic of this post, nor of the book...)

If you're interested in reading this book, there is a copy of it in the library at Eaton St. that you can pick up any day of the week. Just stop by and ask!

Yours in hard-headed and hard-hattedness...
Megan