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be good to see more female, and for that matter trans gendered, arborists in the trade yes
Very true. The more variety of people, the better for any industry or trade.
With the exception of the chest harness, most transitioning women wouldn't struggle to find suitable equipment. It is the more prominent hips and smaller dimensions that are the problem women (and transitioning men) would find is the problem.
The girls I know in arb wear standard gear and look fit as doing it...
It's all stretch gear after all. The issue is not lack of female proportioned or pink PPE (which is available btw!) but the fact that arb is traditionally a male dominated environment. You may as well ask 'why are there not so many women in the pits or the military?'
The stereotypical views need to further change - only employers and those that position our industry and training can help do that.
I think the old (& sometimes sexist...) viewpoint is changing and in a generation those with those outdated views will have retired from our industry.
It is changing slowly. On my first job for the highways I was teamed up with an old boy and on my first day he actually asked me if I get paid the same as the men! He wasn't being nasty just a genuine question but by the end of my time there he told me I worked a hell of a lot better than most of the young lads they put with him. At my second job for Waterers when I started I was the only woman and there was some mild sexism/teasing but it didn't bother me and gradually a few other women joined while i was there. There's quite a lot a female gardeners especially with their own businesses now and I think we often get more work as the perception is we would be more trust worthy and careful with our work.
It would be nice if kit were designed in mind for us but this would add to cost as stuff is designed for the average user so men with very small feet/hands do have the same issues.
know a couple of arbor culturalists who hail from the emerald isle but think people of colour may also be under represented in tree work, maybe they fear the inevitable racist taunts or are under the erroneous perception that it is a profession for those of the red necked persuasion, another stereo type
Thanks for all your contributions. It is really interesting. Women and people of colour are under represented in a lot of industries. One reason is that people hire people similar to their-selves, especially in small companis. It is hard to tackle, because the employer often isn't racist or sexist. We all just 'click' better with people like ourselves. Discussing the issue is the start.
Ben, the armed forces is a whole different story. Until this year women were not allowed to be Marines or be in the Infantry. I don't know if any have qualified yet.
Green Girl, that does sound upsetting. Hopefully with pioneer women like you, the industry will be more open and it will be easier for other women.
The reason I started looking into this, is because we would like to have a better range with women in mind. With more women joining, it could potentially not cost more.