From tough welder to nurturing woman: It’s OK to be both

Welders from the Elgin Community College welding program in Elgin, Ill.

A few months ago I received an email from Ed Youdell, president of the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, also known as my boss’s boss’s boss. The email was addressed to me, which obviously piqued my interest. Why would the president be contacting me, of all people?

I opened the email before I had the chance to freak out and assume the worst. The contents included a brief message that said something to the effect of, “Thought you might find this interesting,” and an embedded photo of nine women welders all enrolled in the program at Elgin Community College, which is quite literally just down the street from FMA headquarters.

I took a look at the photo again. Nine women? That seemed like a lot.

I reached out to Dave Reich, ECC welding instructor, and we made arrangements to gather as many of these nine women as possible to talk. Between work and life, we managed to gather four of the nine. The result is the cover story for the September/October issue of the The WELDER, “It’s not starting over, it’s starting with experience.”

Among the many topics that cropped up during our discussion, the one theme that stood out was the idea that you don’t have to abandon your femininity and your desire to nurture others in order to be tough, to enjoy hard work, or to thrive in an environment that is not traditionally occupied by women. That it’s OK to be both tough and nurturing.

Listening to them talk about traditional expectations, I realized that each woman had probably asked herself whether that’s indeed true at one point or another. I realized the answer may not always have been obvious.

Three of these four women are mothers and have the unique challenge of balancing their work persona as the tough welder with the many roles of motherhood—nurturer, disciplinarian, nurse, chauffer, chef, mediator, comforter – the list goes on. In some ways, welding has brought out the toughness and confidence in them that they didn’t know existed. In other ways, it’s generated skepticism or criticism from external sources who don’t understand.

That’s why these nine women welding together at ECC is such a great thing. They’ve provided the validation that yes, you can be both, to one another every day. In addition to that, they’ve pushed, supported, and even celebrated one another’s achievements. While welding and navigating through various life circumstances have revealed the strength they already had, the support and validation these women have provided one another has helped to reaffirm that strength.

I am reminded of a quote from the late Jessi Combs—television personality, racer, and metal fabricator who earned the designation as the fastest woman on four wheels—that she certainly exemplified. I got the chance to speak to her over the phone back in 2011 for an article I wrote about PPE for women.

“If you are detail-oriented, thrive on the ability to be the tough girl, and aren’t afraid to go out and get dirty while building things like bridges and cars, but still go home and be the woman you were wired to be, then go for it. Welding is very empowering and very rewarding.”

Yes, it’s OK to be both.