The Amazing Stories of Early Women in Skilled Trades

Over 700 years. Women pioneered the skilled trades. 

Aaron Barnett of BangingToolbox recommends: Early women contributed to many trade work believed to be only appropriate for men.

Although history has obscured female roles in the skilled trades, it didn’t stop researchers from finding out the truth.

The medieval and early women went out of the domestic norms and worked outside the home.

A lot of us know how ancient women from the past had unequal opportunities like men. Our women ancestors served domestic labor, took care of children, and stayed home.

We grew up with this thought from our history books. But as it turns out, they have long joined the workforce in skilled trade either as a labor or a tradeswomen. 

In this article, we’ll celebrate the contribution of early women in the world of skilled trade until today.

The 13th Century Women in Trade

Back then, women contributed a lot to the skilled trade positions, although they were not treated the same as men. 

Research and documents can prove that women were paid to work for trade jobs as early as the 1300s [1].

However, some historians agree that some records are rare occurrences brought by economic problems– where women had to work in the trade because most men had died from disease or were killed in the war.

The women’s role in skilled trade in the 13th century was evident in official documents, researched by Shelley E. Roff, like tax records, paid wages, or municipal accounts in Western Europe [2]. 

But the sad reality is their contributions to the skilled trade were almost blurred.

Back then, women were considered physically weak to do intense work, and recognizing their efforts as wage earners was considered insignificant.

During these times, accepting wages is immoral for women since it is not their duty to provide for the family but for their husbands or fathers’.

Documents show how women are often left off the records by only noting their household or gender and not including their names [3]. 

However, records do not lie.

What trade jobs did the early women do?

Even with poor documentation, nothing can hide that women participated in the skilled trade force, especially in construction. Women carried supplies and water to construction sites. They worked on stone and wood structures. They dug trenches, mixed mortars, and thatched roofs. 

They worked as day laborers and some even supplied materials between the 13th and 17th centuries.

Records in Spain and Germany are much more evident. Women worked as masons, smiths, doormakers, bakers, carpenters, and butchers.

Usually, they picked up the skill from their fathers, family, or husbands if they belonged to the middle class. However, those who worked as laborers were usually slaves or hired from gangs.

Back then, female laborers received less than males, and some even took half of what the male laborers were getting. 

Since the 1300s, medieval women also actively joined guilds as tradespeople and craftswomen.

They traded their products or crafts for profit. But sometime in the 1600s to 1700s, women were restricted from joining guilds, and companies left the positions to men.

The daughters and wives who previously would have inherited their father’s trade who were allowed to take over their business drastically reduced.

If there was employment, jobs acceptable for women during this time would be weaving tapestries, sculpting, and painting.

The Age of the Industrial Revolution for women

During the Age of Revolution, about 1760s to mid-1800s, a large number of country women transitioned from working at home to the city. Along with the booming economy, women first witnessed brick factories, textile factories, taverns, street shops, and mills.

They worked in factories and milling companies to join men. Although most companies still restrict their lives at and out of work, women still became more fulfilled to receive paychecks than to get nothing from doing chores at home. 

The Industrial Revolution paved the way for women to stand up for equality in the workforce. After experiencing the urban mill life, contemporary women became discontented with their farm life. Farmer daughters joined reform movements for better work conditions. To work independently and not be limited to doing work within their traditional family structure.

Early women on skilled trade during the war

Women employment became more acceptable (World War I)

During this time, more women went to universities to become professionals. Women became doctors, surgeons, and engineers. 

From 1914 to 1918, more women took apprenticeship programs inside and outside the plants to join the trade [4].

They worked in manufacturing companies and operated lathe, punch-press machines, spindle drill press machines, riveting machines, grinders, and cranes.

They assembled trucks, aircraft, and tanks. Some of them are welders and riveters. Some of them repaired engines.

However, this movement was temporary. When the war was over, women returned to their homes, and the male workforce took back their positions.

The Rosie the Riveter campaign (World War II)

The war broke out again and reduced the number of industrial workforce. Men enlisted for the army, and more women stepped up to fill their positions.

The Rosie the Riveter is an ad campaign in the US that aimed to recruit female workers for defense industries. During this time, Rosie the Riveter, an empowering image of a woman, became the face of women in the workforce.

During this time, working outside homes was a new idea for women, and the campaign sparked both patriotism and feminism among women. 

In 1941, 13 million women worked in war production plants. They worked heavily in construction machinery and milled lumber and steel.

Women in WWII unloaded freights and assembled tanks and aircraft. Most women who joined the movement feel more accomplished and proud of their newly found jobs.

The call for women in the workforce not only happened in the US. From 1941, Great Britain enforced compulsory registration of women at the age of 20 for war jobs.

The government partnered with trade unions and associations to employ and train women for works formerly done by men. 

However, as the war ended, women went back to their homes, and returning male workers filled their previous positions.

Notable women in the skilled trade

Despite the many challenges of equality in skilled trade, notable women still gained wide recognition for their effort and hard work.

In the 13th century, we have Sabina von Steinbach, a female stonemason who made a huge contribution to the completion of Strasbourg Cathedral after her father’s death, the master builder and architect of the project.

She worked with her brother, Johann, as a sculptor and mason until completion.

We have more notable women in the construction field. 

Among them is Emily Warren Roebling, who took a major role in the completion of the Brooklyn Bridge in 1872.

Considered the first female field engineer, she stepped up for the project after her husband became bedridden three years shortly after her father-in-law, the designer of the bridge, died.

Because of her first-hand knowledge of the project and her expertise in building materials and cables, she became indispensable.

In 1894, Julia Morgan was the first female civil engineer with honors to graduate from Berkeley.

She was the first woman accepted in Paris’ École des Beaux-Arts. She designed over 700 buildings during her career and pioneered the use of reinforced concrete aesthetically.

The first recorded female machinist who completed her apprenticeship with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers was Nellie Patterson.

After getting her credentials in 1904, she became the first female brother of the organization and paved the way for more women to enter the skilled trade.

In 1919, Alice H. Parker received a patent for her work, a residential gas furnace– a first of its kind that gave birth to modern attributes of central heating like zone heating, thermostats, and forced air furnaces.

In 1951, Lillian Ann Baumbach wanted to do more than secretarial work in her father’s plumbing business. 

She had been helping her father since 12. She decided to take a Master Plumbing course and became the first female Master Plumber.

These are just a few notable women who braved the social stigma of women entering the skilled trade. 

The early women have always been part of the skilled trade.

From ancient artisans to medieval laborers, women have demonstrated their capabilities, resilience, and ingenuity. As we celebrate their achievements, their legacy serves as a reminder of their undying spirit of women empowerment and continuous fight for equality in all fields.

Let us celebrate the fruits of their hard work and continuously inspire other women to strive hard and learn new skills in trade.