Women Enter the Skilled Trades — But Can Guyana Break the Old Gender Barriers?

Women are increasingly entering occupations once regarded as men’s work, from electrical installation and auto-electrical work to heavy-equipment operation, welding and other technical trades. But as Guyana’s oil-driven economy expands, a larger question remains: will women gain equal access to the jobs, wages, advancement and economic opportunities created by the country’s transformation?

Recent Board of Industrial Training programmes show women making significant inroads into technical fields that have traditionally been male dominated.

In Linden alone, 47 women were among 174 recent technical-training graduates, including women trained in heavy-duty equipment operation and other industrial occupations. Earlier this month, Guyanese trainees Orella Trotman and McGiver Miller were highlighted while pursuing electrical installation training, with Trotman among the women challenging conventional assumptions about who belongs in technical trades.