Operatorka ciężkich maszyn zmaga się z seksizmem

Amanda posed next to pool. SASKATOON, CANADA: THIS GLAMOROUS heavy machinery operator has revealed the racism, sexism and even physical confrontations she was forced to deal with in her battle to be taken seriously by her male boomer colleagues. After ten years of working as a heavy equipment operator Amanda Duong (28) from Saskatoon, Canada now earns over Ł50K per year working in construction, now operates a JD 772 grader typically used for resurfacing road surfaces which weighs about 25 tons, with a max net power of 275 horsepower. From the age of 18 years old Amanda spent her summer job as a labourer while she was two years into studying for a degree in biochemistry, but because she enjoyed being on a construction site so much more she decided to drop out from university and ditch her degree. Amanda’s parents were a little upset to find out that she was ditching her biochemistry degree, but they gave her full support. However, breaking into her role was far from easy and Amanda has shared her experiences of misogyny and abuse in the workplace which has inspired others to speak out and step into a career that they feared they would be excluded from. During one shift, Amanda did receive abuse from a coworker. She received a call from another coworker who informed her that someone was making fun of her over a two-way radio. Amanda tuned into her two-way radio and heard the person making fun of her, calling her names such as “Amanda Dong”, “Dong” and “bean bag head” among others. She decided to address the situation with this abusive coworker, however, the coworker was even more incensed and instigated a physical fight. "Some of the guys treated me horribly, like I didn’t belong, and tried to bully me out of my job. Some would say some ruthless things,” said Amanda. “There have been a few occasions where I have shown up to site in my grader and had a guy ripped my grader door open and asked what I was doing there. “I told him I was there to do the job but would proceed to say, ‘I don’t want you here, I want a man here to do the job, not you. Why would they send a woman?’ “The guy wouldn’t let me operate, so I had to call my supervisor to explain the situation and was left with no option but to de-escalate the situation by leaving the site. “Another incident was when I had a coworker who was being racist towards me, making fun of my last name. “I stood up for myself by correcting him on how to say my last name properly, and to address me with some respect. “It didn’t resonate well with him because he tried instigating a physical fight. Thankfully I had some co-workers who stood up for me and deescalated the situation.” Amanda did not see working as a tradesperson as her career path, but she found it more fulfilling than her biochemistry degree and faced her parents' reaction. “I went to university thinking I wanted a degree in biochemistry. I did two years of the degree, but in my third year I realised I didn’t want to do biochemistry, as I couldn’t see it as a fulfilling career for myself,” she said “I didn’t want to be in a lab, and wanted something different. “It was only supposed to be a summer time job while finishing up my studies at the university. I soon realised I enjoyed working outside a lot more than being in a lab. “My parents were upset to know that I wasn't going to finish my biochem degree, they thought doing trade work would be a summertime job, and it was a good idea to make some money as a student, but they didn't see it as a future career. “Honestly, I never thought this would be my future career, either. Throughout the ups and downs of my career journey, my parents have been a source of support, encouragement, and guidance.” Amanda shared how being a female in a male-dominated industry throws up its own difficulties. Over the years she has faced many challenges to being a female operator, often feeling like the “token woman”, employed to make the company look good but never really treated as an equally to her co-workers. Luckily not all Amanda’s colleagues have been threatened by having her work alongside them.“I'm beyond thankful for the guys who have been so welcoming and who have treated me as an equal, ultimately allowing me to grow as an operator”, said Amanda. “It felt like such an uphill battle trying to prove that what they were doing to me wasn’t affecting me. Every day I would push myself to be better than those guys and prove that I deserved to be there just like any of them. "I have learned to set boundaries to help prevent people from disrespecting me and establish a more professional and productive working environment around myself. “This change has been invaluable for me and has made it easier to take on new challenges and responsibilities. “I started sharing my story online because I wanted to challenge the dominant ideology that surrounds trades. mediadrumimages / @amanda.dyxe