Women now make up nearly half of the U.S. labor force. But what percentage are female plumbers? According to a 2022 study from Zippia.com, 5.3% of plumbers are female in the United States. Let’s explore why women may want to pursue a skilled trade—and how they can benefit today’s plumbing industry, plumbing classrooms and the future of the trade.
There are many myths surrounding the skilled trades. Myths about plumbing can make the trade feel off limits to some women who are interested in the field. However, women and men who work in plumbing or pipefitting roles want aspiring female plumbers to know:
As more people reject plumbing myths, there’s a higher likelihood that more women may consider plumbing and pipefitting as a possible career path.
Role models help people envision new possibilities for themselves and realize their full potential. When it comes to choosing or changing your career path, you may first think about career options that align with your interests, that you could be happy pursuing, and that you’ve seen role models do successfully.
As a historically male-dominated field, plumbing doesn’t have an equal number of women role models yet. However, female representation continues to grow as more women enter the field and mentor other women who are training to become plumbers. You could be a role model on jobsites for women apprentices, or you could walk into a residential home where young children may see a female plumber for the first time.
Related: Why are Skilled Trade Jobs for Women an Excellent Choice?
Female plumbing students are starting to take up more seats in plumbing training classes, where students learn about everything from hand and power tools, fixtures, faucets, fittings, DWV piping and valves, and much more. Women in Apex’s plumbing classes are also taught pipefitting skills, such as sprinkler fitting and fabrication, flange and groove, and socket and butt weld pipe fabrication.
Technician training teaches women on-the-job skills they can use in an entry-level plumbing or pipefitting position. Women interested in pursuing an entry-level position in the plumbing field can get 900 hours of hands-on training in as little as seven months. Want to explore our Plumbing & Pipefitting program? Learn more now.
*Apex Technical School and its instructors are licensed by the State of New York, New York State Education Department.
Disclaimer: Apex Technical School provides training for entry-level jobs. Not everything you may read about the industry is covered in our training programs.
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