Battle of the Sexes: HVAC Technician

“Why do women have shorter feet than men? So they’ll fit under the sink better.” A colleague of mine once asked me this question in the middle of my teaching career. It wasn’t what inspired the career change, but this age-old attitude is something that women and men have been sparring over for centuries. What is a man’s place? What is a woman’s place? Do they each have a place or can they exist in any place they choose?

Deep questions, but in a predominantly male industry that is looking for new technicians, HVACR is attempting to address the male-female saga again.

Here are a few more questions for individuals in the industry to answer. How are you going to feel working next to a woman? Are you going to treat her and respect her skills and knowledge the same as the other male technicians? Now we all know the correct answer is yes, but think honestly for a moment. What is your attitude towards women in your workplace?

There are questions to ask the ladies as well. Are you ready to be one of the guys, or are you expecting to be treated differently because you are a woman? As a woman, do you have physical limitations that make being an installation technician too difficult? Again, we all know the right answer here, but it is time to be honest, at least with ourselves.

“Why don’t men do the laundry? Because the washer and dryer don’t come with remote controls.”