More women are pursuing the skilled trades: Here are their stories

Mounting evidence points to opportunities in the skilled trades. And yet, these jobs remain largely a man’s world.

Despite higher salaries and increasingly valuable long-term employment prospects in the face of an artificial intelligence-driven white-collar jobs revolution, women remain significantly underrepresented in the skilled trades, research shows.

They make up just a fraction of the workforce in industries such as automotive technology, diesel mechanics, plumbing and carpentry. For example, women represented 3.1% each of carpenters and plumbers and 3.5% of electricians employed in the U.S. in 2025, according to the most recent occupational data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“We are not where we want to be with a diversified workforce, but we are seeing that number grow,” said Ian Andrews, vice president of labor relations at the National Electrical Contractors Association, a trade group representing the electrical contracting industry. Two decades ago, only 1.9% of electricians in the U.S were women, government data shows.

Overall, younger workers are increasingly pursuing careers in the skilled trades — with good reason. A shortage of skilled tradespeople has led to more job openings and higher pay among these career-driven pathways.

But even as experienced workers age out of the field, young men are more likely to fill those spots. Some women have forged ahead anyway.

For women, especially, the demand for skilled-trade roles creates opportunities for employment growth and rising salaries, potentially narrowing the gender wage gap and strengthening their economic security.

“Women that pursue this path are positioning themselves for job security, stability, growth,” said Monster career expert Vicki Salemi. “The possibilities are robust in these fields, and they are often underserved.”

CNBC spoke to four women in skilled trades. Here’s what they told us about their experiences in the field:

Cristina Barillas-McEntee, plumber

Cristina Barillas-McEntee, 55, was working as a makeup artist in Chicago in 1998 when a friend suggested she apply to a local plumbers union for a career with more long-term stability and benefits.

“I was looking at my life and was like, this is not where I want to be at 60,” she said.

But first she had to take a pay cut. During a five-year apprenticeship program, Barillas-McEntee was making just $9 an hour, she said.

“This is a sacrifice you make for the larger end goal,” she said. “When you come out of the apprenticeship, you are a journeyman.” With that certification, the union covers health, dental and vision care as well as her pension.

Today, Barillas-McEntee earns $56 an hour and plans to retire at 60: “My retirement is looking good. I’m very happy.”

After 25 years in the industry, Barillas-McEntee said she now encourages other women to consider a career in a skilled trade.

“On most job sites, I’m the only woman,” she said. “I’ve gotten pretty used to it, but it can get pretty lonely.”

Teagan Hollabaugh, heavy-duty diesel mechanic

“I didn’t want to sit behind a desk,” said Teagan Hollabaugh, 22. “I knew I needed something that was very involved to keep me entertained day to day.”

Even before graduating high school, Teagan enrolled in Rosedale Technical College in Pittsburgh. During her on-the-job training, she was offered a position as a diesel mechanic, her field of choice, and secured a job immediately upon completing the program — a rare feat for younger workers in today’s labor market.

But it is also a career with few other women, she said. “In my garage currently, I am the only female technician.”

Without women mentors, there are not a lot of role models for balancing work and family, she said — and that may limit the long-term potential.

“I want to stay in the field and use the knowledge, but at the same time, I want to start a family,” Teagan said. “Working where I work and being in the garage, it’s just not possible for me to be able to do that and do my job at the same time.”

Lilian Hollabaugh, HVAC installation technician

Admittedly, Lilian Hollabaugh said she only became interested in pursuing a skilled trade because her twin sister Teagan finished her technical degree and quickly found a job. After looking at several job training programs, Lilian settled on heating, ventilation and air conditioning, or HVAC. “This seems like it might be fun,” she said.

However, getting hired wasn’t as easy as she initially expected. “I went dressed like I was going to an interview,” she said, “And it was almost like… they just assumed because I was in nice clothes and I was dressed nice, that I didn’t want anything to do with the field. Everybody kept offering me an office position.”

Systemic gender barriers stood in her way at the outset, she said. “I definitely do think that it had to do with the fact that I was a girl, and they just thought that it would be a better spot for me.”

But that’s not what Lilian had in mind. “I went to trade school because I want to use my hands. I don’t want to sit behind a desk all day.”

Eventually, she was hired as an HVAC installation technician and, in just two years, has risen in the ranks at her company. “I’ve gone from tech one to tech two to tech three, and I’m about to become a crew lead. You move up very fast, and you make more money very fast.”

Like her sister, Lilian is also the only woman in her workplace, but it doesn’t bother her, she said. “I kind of like being the only girl at my company, because I’ve earned a great amount of respect.”

She also sees a future for herself in the field, even as other industries face AI-driven layoffs or even a jobs apocalypse.

“There’s always going to be a need for the job that we do,” she said. “Robots are never going to be able to do what we do.”

Raelee Nicholson, diesel technician

Instead of going to college, Raelee Nicholson, 25, went straight to technical school after graduating from high school, largely driven by concerns about the rising cost of a four-year degree and mounting student loan debt. It’s a sentiment causing more students to rethink the value of college.

“I think the debt-to-pay ratio works better after a trade school, rather than the debt you acquire during a four- or six- or eight-year college program,” she said. Her parents supported this decision, she added.

Although Nicholson took out a loan to pay for trade school, she has less debt than she would have if she’d borrowed to pay for a four-year degree, she said. Plus, her current position pays well and provides long-term financial benefits, Nicholson added.

“It was nice being able to make a decent income right out of trade school,” she said. “I have a retirement [account] that I am able to add to every two weeks.”

Nicholson, who has now worked in the field for about seven years, says she enjoys the hands-on job and expects to stick with it. “I’m going to be in this career for a while, just because I’ve been progressing and putting all my time and effort into it,” Nicholson said.

“Being a woman in a male-dominated field, we’re normally still the minority,” she said. “However, people don’t really seem to look at you much differently. You’re there to do a job.”

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