International Women’s Day - Celebrating Women In Trade

It’s International Women’s Day, and here at GPH, we’re celebrating women in the industry. A recent study found that 32% of women would consider a career as a tradesperson, and since 2009 there has been a huge increase in women joining the industry. In fact, there’s been a 120% increase in the last ten years. 

Amazing tradies are what make us tick, and we decided to mark International Women’s Day by having a chat with two talented tradeswomen, Jill Maclean and Marie Wright. 

Could You Start Us Off By Introducing Yourself And Your Trade?       

 Marie - Hi, I’m Maire, I’ve been a gardener for about seven years, generally it’s maintenance but I also do landscaping for custom projects that want something a little bit smaller.

Jill - Hi, I’m Jill, I’m a landscape gardener, and I’m a mother of three boys. I work full-time now, and I’ve been working for Kernj for about a year and a half.

How Did You Get Into Your Trade?

We Visited A Garden Marie Worked On Recently

Marie - I was actually a mechanical engineer, I have a degree in engineering, but seven years ago the design department was shut down. There weren’t many jobs for engineers and landscaping was something I always fancied doing, so I decided to give it a go for a year and it’s something I'm still doing it seven years later.

Jill - It was quite strange actually, I met Kernj because I was building a wall myself and he was doing the same and we just got talking. He actually said ‘you should come and help us some time’ and I kind of took it as a joke, but then I ended up helping out and staying with the company!

But, I always had my own sort of projects going on and I’ve always been interested in it, I guess I just never really thought about doing it as a job so it was a lucky coincidence.

Have You Seen An Increase Of Women In Trade Jobs?

Marie - You can’t change it if it’s not what they want to do, but I think there are more women going into gardening and landscaping. I come from a farming background and my Mum and Dad really love their gardening so that was where I got it from. 

It was always a joke that I would love to go into gardening and then we got the phone call saying there were going to be redundancies and my husband said ‘well you might get your job after all!’. 

Jill - If I see a woman in workwear around I’m always like ‘Oh! I want to know her, what do you do?’ I’m always quite interested in that because you don’t see it often, and maybe I’m more aware of it now, but I'm always interested to know. 

What Do You Love Most About Your Job?

Marie - I really like being outside and that I get to decide my own hours to a certain extent. Even being outside on a day like this, once you start working it’s lovely and it makes you feel more alive.

Jill - I think probably the variety, you’re always doing something different, I love coming in a seeing a blank canvas to start with and seeing what people want out of their gardens develop. 

There are always challenges and problem-solving to do, but every day is different. It’s lovely seeing the customer happy and it’s amazing how important it is to have a nice space outside to be in.

Is There A Project That You’re Most Proud Of?

Marie - I really like doing jobs with sleepers, which is where you make raised beds on a vertical. We’ve done quite a few of them now and I really enjoy doing them, they give a really good curved shape and they’re the ones I’m most proud of. 

Do You Have Any Advice For Other Women Thinking About A Career In Trade?

Marie - I think if you’ve got a passion for it then just go for it. It’s quite flexible, and one of the reasons I chose it was because it worked around my childcare issues at the time. I can choose when I work if there’s a dentist appointment in the middle of the day I can work around that. 

The guys at the trade counter are lovely, they answer your questions and don’t make you feel stupid or anything like that. It keeps you physically fit and mentally sane as well!

Jill - I think just never doubt that you’re able, they are perfectly capable of doing everything a man can do. Even I have been guilty of thinking ‘oh I’m not strong enough to do that’, but then you realise that you really can do it. 

And also don’t be put off by what some people say which is that it’s a man's world, and if they have a passion for being creative and building things then they should just go for it and don’t be put off by gender whatsoever 

What’s It Like Working With GPH?

Marie - They’ve been great, as soon as I walk in they know who you are and they’ll give you advice about anything that you want. 

Jill - I absolutely love going into GPH I have to admit, every time I go in everyone is so great. I’m always volunteering to run the errands, everyone in there is fantastic and you get to know them all really well.

You can find Jill at the fantastic kernj.com, which specialises in stunning landscape design and garden transformations. And if you need a great gardener, you can find Marie at Masies Daisies Gardening Service based in Kintore.