“In the beginning of the first year, it was a bit frustrating when every five seconds someone comes up to you asking if you need help when you really don’t. Some of the guys made their surprise very obvious when I could actually hammer something,” senior Autumn Shingledecker said about the struggles of working in a male dominated career.

Shingledecker takes a construction class at the Capital Area Career Center, and she spoke quite clearly about it. “If I need help, I’ll ask, and then it will be appreciated.” Job performance issues are not the only ones young women face as reported by the Association of Women for Action and Research. Of 160 women asked, 114 experienced unwelcome or offensive terms in the workplace. Pay equality is another issue.

“Every now and then I was asked how my experience was ‘as a woman’ in the field. Of course, they mean to build my confidence and/or sympathize with me, but it just makes the separation more apparent,” Shingledecker added.

According to Institute for Women’s Policy Research, an informational website that wishes to inspire public conversation about gender equality, full time working women make around 80 cents on the dollar to men. That is a 20 percent wage gap between males and females. Sexism at the workplace can not only come from co-workers, but also from customers. Sophomore Rachel Monroe has experienced that issue first hand at her place of employment, Certified Tractor and Auto. She had a man tell her that she could not work on his car because she was female.

“I was very shook by what he said to me and how he acted being a 50-60 year old man. It made me feel like I wasn’t allowed to be working in that kind of work place because I was a young girl working on people’s vehicles.” Monroe thought it made her like a weaker worker. “Just because I am a girl, doesn’t mean I can’t learn or do just as much as a grown man. I’m in that workplace for a reason and I have a strong work ethic,” she said.

Jackson Area Career Center is working to break the stereotypes placed on both genders.

“Jackson Area Career Center really tries to go for non-traditional students,” Katie Dysley, who teaches cosmetology there, said. Cosmetology can work out to be a successful career for men as seen by local salon owner James Wireman.

“Men usually build up quite a clientele in this career because women respect a man’s opinion,” Dysley said. Even though there are only two guys in their entire class of 40, they seem to collaborate well.  According to Dysley, whenever a guy does something right, there is no surprise from the girls. “They are all in it together,” Dysley added. “Some people do tasks better than others; it’s just how it is.”