Overview of Women in the Skilled Trades Face New Hurdles (The Sunday Story — NPR)
This episode examines how the Trump administration’s rollback of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies and related federal requirements threatens recent, modest gains for women in construction trades. Through reporting from a major tradeswomen conference, visits to a union training center, and interviews with apprentices, union leaders, and organizers, NPR explores who benefits from the administration’s “skilled trades” push — and who might be left out.
Main takeaways
- The administration is promoting skilled trades as a priority workforce strategy — messaging that often evokes a nostalgic, mostly white, male image of trades work.
- Federal rollbacks on DEI-related rules, contractor reporting requirements and apprenticeship obligations create legal and funding risks for organizations that recruit and train women and people of color.
- Women remain a very small share of hands-on construction trades (under ~5% nationwide), but training programs and union efforts have created clear pathways into well‑paying jobs.
- Some unions have advanced family-friendly policies (e.g., maternity leave), showing institutions can support retention — but recent policy changes have led to disbanded affinity programs and uncertainty about the future.
Key scenes and personal stories
- Tradeswomen conference in Chicago: ~5,000 women marched, representing electricians, plumbers, carpenters, roofers, etc., showing large, growing community energy.
- Kaylee Jensen: former video editor who entered plumbing via a free 12-week program from Chicago Women in Trades; now a third‑year apprentice.
- Keena McAfee: Black carpenter who entered the trades after a discrimination lawsuit forced change decades ago; later taught apprentices for 30 years and now instructs for Chicago Women in Trades; disheartened after the Carpenters’ union ended its “Sisters in the Brotherhood” program citing legal risk.
- Vicki O’Leary (Ironworkers): led a policy to create maternity leave for ironworkers — up to six months partial pay before birth and six to eight weeks after — with high return-to-work rates (85%).
Policy shifts explained (what changed)
- Rescinded/rolled-back items cited:
- A 1965 executive order (requiring federal contractors to analyze and address hiring disparities) was rescinded.
- Rules tying apprenticeship program accountability to diversity goals are being rescinded.
- A previous federal goal that women perform 6.9% of work on certain federal construction projects is no longer enforced.
- Executive orders require recipients of federal funds to certify they do not promote certain DEI practices; the administration has not clearly defined “illegal DEI.”
- What remains:
- Title VII anti‑discrimination law still exists — individuals can sue — but systemic accountability and contractor-level proactive measures have been weakened.
- Administration framing:
- Public messaging favors “merit” and a return to a nostalgic skilled-worker ideal; Labor Department social posts and slogans like “Make America Skilled Again” emphasize a mid‑century aesthetic and largely male imagery.
- White House responses point to an emphasis on bringing people into work, but offer few specifics about women.
Effects on programs, unions and recruitment
- Threats to organizations: Groups such as Chicago Women in Trades (which runs federally funded introductory and placement programs) face funding and legal uncertainty because their mission is explicitly about recruiting women and people of color.
- Union changes: Some unions created supportive practices (bathrooms, harassment reporting, maternity leave). Others have curtailed identity‑based affinity programs citing legal risk, potentially undermining recruitment and retention pipelines.
- Employer behavior: Some employers now purposely request women for specific tasks (e.g., welding, drywall finishing, commercial painting) recognizing skill and added value; some unions set quantitative goals (e.g., painters aim for 20% women by 2029).
Data & notable figures
- Women in on-site construction trades: <5% of workforce.
- National estimate cited by White House: shortage of 447,000 construction workers (2024).
- Reported earnings: licensed union plumbers in Chicago can earn >$60/hour after apprenticeship.
- Historical federal goal for women on federal projects: 6.9% of the work (previously a target, not a quota).
Notable quotes
- Labor Department slogan (video): “Make America Skilled Again.”
- Trump (on construction workers): “good, hard, tough, mean construction workers that I love.”
- Organizer Jane Valinga (Chicago Women in Trades): “You cannot look at the workforce of the construction trades and say, oh, they’ve taken DEI too far.”
- White House spokesperson: “Instead of DEI boondoggles that accomplish nothing, the Trump administration is laying the groundwork for Americans of all backgrounds to help build our next golden age.”
What to watch / implications
- Legal outcomes: Ongoing court challenges and litigation involving DEI-related funding and contractual conditions will shape whether training programs can continue receiving federal support.
- Employer and union responses: Whether unions and contractors maintain (or re-create) recruitment/retention programs for women will determine near-term progress.
- Labor market dynamics: Persistent worker shortages could push employers to continue recruiting women despite federal messaging; the balance between political signaling and labor needs will be decisive.
- Measurement: Watch for new federal guidance defining “illegal DEI” and for any replacement policies that address workforce diversity in different terms.
Production credits (from episode)
- Host: Ayesha Roscoe
- Reporter: Andrea Hsu (NPR labor and workplace correspondent)
- Produced by: Raina Cohen; Edited by Jenny Schmidt; Fact-checked by Ida Porosad
- Engineer: Jimmy Keely
- Executive Producer: Irene Noguchi