sisishard1:
Let me be the first to respond. This is the kind of thread that will generate 60 replies. I’ve only seen one woman welder during my short weld inspection career. She held her own with the rest of the workforce. She competed daily against 30 other welders in a structural steel fabrication plant down here in rural Alabama. Why she is a welder I could not guess, but as far as I know she’s still there (eight years by now). I assume she passed all the safety training required by the plant and passed her welding test. Seems to me she had no trouble getting hired.
Regards, Donnie Mann

If you can weld as well as your male co-workers, then there should be no reason why it is harder for you to get work. I guess it depends on what part of the country you are in as well. Here in New England, gender will actually help you as contractors want it known to clients that they employ women as well as minorities. I have only seen two (female)welders in my company, but both were as good as any male welder. My company has a few women pipe fitters too.
In this part of the country (non-union) it really only matters how well you can do your job. If you pass the welding tests, then you get hired, period. We have had a couple of female welders who said they could weld, but could not compentently pass the pipe (welding) test. They still would have hired them as apprentices (for less money) but they opted not to. Men have had the same thing happen (Bust-out) on the welding test..... They get sent back to the House.
Do you weld pipe?

In field construction type trades, pass the tests, work. I have seen a few women welders. Two of them were more skilled than the average welders on the job.

I also was in a test booth next to one that was "allowed" to test. Her 1st words to me were "What do I do with this, we spot welded where I came from" She was referring to a 3/32" E7018 .

Between her processing in, radcon training, and 3 DAYS in the test booth before being busted out, she got over a week of union pipefitter journeyman pay. Would this have happened to a man ? Who Knows

Gerald

If you were in Brazil, it would be EASIER for you to get a job than it would be for a man.
Brazilian construction companies and fabrication shops (tankage, platework, structural steel etc.) prefer female welders rather than male. They say women put more attention in what they're doing and are more accurate than men.
A word of warning, though! If you feel the temptation to come down here, be advised that wages are much lower than they are up there (provided you're American, which I don't know for sure because your data are hidden).
Giovanni S. Crisi
Sao Paulo - Brazil

If you were in my area and were skilled as a fitter and a welder, I could get you a job in a heart beat. I have only seen a few women willing to get dirty and accept the occasional burns and put up the conditions that prevail in welding construction. It would be a pleasant surprise to find a lady that is willing to work in a non traditional occupation.

I once repaired the frame of a 1946 model Piper super cub that was ground looped at the local airport.It had sustained significant damage to the tubing but, not a single weld was broken.At that time many of the welders at Piper Aircraft were women.They had been building planes througout WW2.I thought I was an excellent oxy-acetylene welder.My welds were good and passed inspection by an FAA certified A&p mechanic but,I have to say,my welds could not come close to the appearance and quality of the original welds on that aircraft.
Bottom line.....anyone who would not hire a welder because of her gender,is a fool that you (or I) would not want to work for anyway.
Sorry for the long winded reply.

Hey Sis,
All of the answers you've received have been great, but please let me present another scenario that is most observed in the Petro-Chemical industry along the Gulf Coast.

I most definitely believe in equality when hiring for positions if the person is capable of doing the job adequately. My wife owns a Goodyear Service Center in Dallas, Texas for the last 33 years. A woman in a usually man's position, especially owner of an automotive-related business is a challenge, but she has been very successful. As you probably know, the welding industry is normally considered a male dominated trade, whether we agree or not.

In the Perto-Chemical industry, for example, there is more involved than just being able to make acceptable welds. Some women, not all, but some, are not able physically to string their welding leads up the side of a 200ft. tower as easily as some men. The physical demands are different than just working in a shop where your physical strength is not as much required. Your question about it being harder to get a job as a welder just because you are a woman is a little ambiguous. There is no "yes" or "no" answer. In some areas of the welding trade, physical strength is a big asset. Working on a lay barge requires much more than just welding, even if you hired on as a welder. Is a woman physically as strong as a man? In some cases, yes. In some cases, no. Ship building is another example of physical demands on even a welder. Being a welder sometimes involves more than just welding...It depends on the job you are assigned to do. Honestly, I have seen women that are great welders, I taught welding at the University of Texas and the best welder I ever saw was a young woman in her early 20's, but when she got out in the workforce she realized that there is much more than just burning rods. Most women cannot stand up to the physical demands as easily as a man. I'm not saying ALL women, but the greater majority I've seen have more problems meeting the physical requirements than most men.

I will, with a degee of certainty, say that your chances will be harder to get a job as a welder as compared to a man. Again, it is not solely dependent on your ability to make good welds, but to do the averall job. Doing that is only a part of the whole scope of being a welder. If one can meet the physical demands, whether man or woman, and has the ability to make acceptable welds, then there should be no discrimination on gender, but that is not always the case.

I hope this does not sound prejudice, but to even wonder if it is harder to get a job as a welder because you are a woman should not be an issue. Being able to make acceptable welds is not a male/female issue. But, being able to do everything associated with the welding industry can be more of an issue. How else will you ever know if it is harder than to go out there and start applying for jobs and see if you can meet the demands of the job you are applying for.

Chuck

Hi Sis,

The honest, straight answer is yes, it will be harder.
The reasons are the questions that go through the boss's mind in a lot of shops in a male dominated industry.
Is she tough enough?
Will she cry when she gets burned?
Will she expect special treatment?
Will she disrupt the flow in the shop by distracting the guys?
What kind of soap opera like scenario is going to happen when the guys start arguing over her affections (real or imagined)?
Is she going to sue me for sexual harrasment the first time some jerk pinches her butt, or uses the F word, or propositions her?

Now, before you guys start jumping down my throat, yes, I know for a fact that some women make great welders.
I also know that not all shops are the same, and that all boss's are not the same.
I also know that all women are not the same and that some can out perform most men any day.
I am not trying to discourage Sis from trying.
I am simply giving her the honest answer that she asked for, even though it's not politicly correct.
My opinions are based on scenarios that have occured at several different places I've worked along the Gulf Coast and in the South East US, and upon the overheard conversations between male co-workers that resulted.

Sis,
Even though you may face some adverse scenarios that men would not, don't be discouraged. There are many women out ther proving again that welding and fitting are not gender specific jobs. If it were not for all the females making ships and planes and everything else during WW2,
America would not have become the military and economic power that we are.

Tim

Sis,
Again, as you can see, there is no definite "yes" or "no" answer. Everyone has their opinion. As I stated earlier, you can only go out there and present yourself and see if you are qulaified to do ALL aspects of the job. If you apply at enough places you will get pro and con reactions.

Contact your local union hall they have to maintain a certain number of minorities and your one!

Hello. I know this is kind of late but just wanted to put my 2 cents in here. I am a female Welder/CWI/NDT Level 2 in PT,RT,MT,VT. I have welded for Boeing on the fuel cell domes for the Delta IV program as well as was foreWoman over a fab shop for about 5 years.
I am not here to ring my own bell but to say go for it. There will be some that you come across that will look at you and say "You know your going to get dirty right?" Or not call back. But if welding is what you truely want to do then go do it. It took me 3 different jobs to find the one that would truely accept me for an equal instead of a "girl" and I loved it.
Good Luck :)