"Acceptance of women in the industry, either as electricians in the field, or as business owners, is growing," says Susan King, executive manager of NECA's Southern Colorado Chapter. King has been associated with the electrical construction industry for over 16 years, and has been with NECA for the past eight. She is also involved with the Colorado Springs Training and Leadership Team, which focuses on women and minorities in non-traditional trades, and she is the administrator of the Colorado Springs National Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee.

Even with this growing acceptance, there are gender-specific obstacles that women have to overcome in order to succeed. The most common one is the assumption is that the firm's owner is going to be a man. "The initial reaction is shock," says King, "but as soon as the woman shows herself to be capable, the men no longer think of her as a woman specifically, but as a businessperson."

Sue Hurley, president of Cable Communications, Chicago, agrees. "I've become known in the area since I started my business in 1987, but in the beginning, people were quite often surprised to find I was a woman." Hurley's career in electrical work began with a cable TV company. She joined the union, completed her JATC apprenticeship training, and specialized in phone and data cabling. After being approached to bid on a job by a company whose in-house work force couldn't handle the job, Hurley struck out on her own, bidding on bigger and bigger projects. Cable Communications is now a full-service electrical communications contractor specializing in fiber optics and fire alarms systems. The company employs 30 people in the field, five people in the office, and grosses over $2 million a year in sales King doesn't like to focus on the disadvantages women face, however. "Although obstacles need to be overcome, we shouldn't focus on them," she explains. "We need to concentrate on the opportunities available to women and what women can contribute to the industry." Women, on the whole, have excellent organizational, public relations, and social skills. They excel in mediation, and their general ability to see the whole picture helps them in planning for the future.

Linda Woodall is the marketing director for Electrical Construction in Portland. She was an electrician in the field for six years before becoming involved in the marketing end of the business. "Women can typically handle multiple priorities," Woodall says. "And women usually use more of a participative style for solving problems, which helps a great deal in dispute resolution."

What's the best way for a woman to succeed in electrical contracting? "Whether you want to be an electrician, or you want to own your own business, the best path to success is education." says King. "The Southern Colorado of the JATC has seen an upsurge recently of women wanting to enroll not only in apprenticeship training, but in courses such as management development, estimating, project management, marketing, and safety."

Apprenticeship training is an area where equality rules. To become a journeyman, a person must complete a certain training regimen, regardless of their sex. And equal pay is written into the rules. There are also other areas in which the playing field is level between men and women. In the field, they face the same risks, and all business owners face the uncontrollable nature of the economy, competition, and dealing with the stress of daily life.

Advice

"Although professional education is equally important for everyone, women need to focus on setting goals, searching for the educational opportunities to help them in reaching those goals, actively pursuing those opportunities, and not backing away from the goals they've set," says King.

"Don't give up," advises Hurley. "It takes time for a woman to gain acceptance from customers and peers. Get educated; network." Hurley also believes that communication is a key ingredient for success. "Communication is something that transcends gender."

Woodall adds, "Before you try to break into the electrical contracting field, make sure your attitude and personality is suited to hands-on, technical-type work."

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