Inside the Story: Women in not-so typical careers

(KUTV) A Utah state senator is trying to change the way women think about careers. Sen. Karen Mayne says it’s great to teach school or work in the medical field, but the job opportunities are much larger for women.

“That’s fine if they chose them,” she said. “We want them to know there is a whole range of occupations they can chose from. They are out there, women just don’t know and that’s our job.”

A non-profit organization she put together called Utah Women in Trades focuses on helping women look outside the box at non-traditional trades like welders, electricians and construction workers. The senator says all these jobs pay great money and are often overlooked by women going into the career world.

Judy Kvenvold works as an electrician and says it’s something she never expected to be. It was her husband that told her she should try it out and she loves it.

“It’s good money,” Kvenvold told 2News. “It’s good benefits and it works. It’s flexible. If I need a day off I just say, ‘Hey I need a day off, I have two girls.’ it works.”

Jina Rarick has been welding now for about 10 years. She originally studied medical billing and coding and decided this was more her style.

“To feel empowered to build something, to do something great yourself,” Rarick described welding.

There are also careers in law enforcement, firefighting and road work. Just a few examples of the careers Mayne points out in her organization. The senator meets with these workers and will take them on speaking engagements to women groups and college co-eds. At $31 an hour for a welder, there is good reason to take a look at some of these non-traditional ideas.

“We are a dominate force and we are bread winners we need to be in occupations that are high skilled that pay a good wage,” Mayne said.

According to the Utah Career Center where welders are learning their trade, only three to four percent of their students are women. So, they say the field is wide open for more women to get into the field. Again, Senator Mayne says she has nothing against other trades, but says it’s good for women to look at other opportunities out there other than the traditional ones.

For more information on this organization visit their website here.

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