by Eileen Schmidt

Created on: June 19, 2009

For centuries upon centuries women have had the lesser role in humanity. The workplace, the home, in child-rearing. Women have had to work harder at the same position a man has, yet to get paid less. Women usually produce more at home than their spouses do. Women take on the major responsibility of raising the children.

In a two parent home, whether you have a husband who is extremely helpful or not, the woman is the one who has the majority of the duties. Both of you can go to work, but when you get home who cooks dinner? Who cleans up? Who bathes the children? In most cases, the woman.

In the workplace, if you take a man and a woman who have been at the same job for the same amount of time, the man usually will get the promotion before she does. And in most cases, she works harder than he does, just to prove herself. This does not mean that we, as women, have to walk around and pout about it. It means that we just need to keep working diligently until something gives.

For example, I began working in the construction industry, doing commercial concrete form work, in 2004. I chose the carpenters union because I figured that we all had to work hard, yet would all make the same amount of money for being in for the same amount of time. We would all have the same benefits and hourly wage no matter what. Well, I made thirty dollars an hour just like everybody else, but being the only woman on most jobs, I had more to prove. A man could start on a project, and on his first day be walking around doing the easy stuff and picking up after the others and not get flack for it, but if I were to have done that I would have been let go. I worked 15 hour shifts just like everybody else and I got paid time-and-a-half after eight hours just like everybody else, but I had to work harder than everybody else. I had to prove that I was worthy enough to hang from the 16th floor of a 26 story high rise. I had to haul just as much materials in one trip as the strongest man there. The other guys could take one sheet of plywood at a time if they wanted to. They could carry one peri panel across the building. I always had to carry two. Yes, it is unjust, but I kept my chin up and did what I was told. I listened to them ridicule me and ride me until my body felt like I couldn't take it anymore. But I did it. I am grateful for it. As unfair as it seemed, it made me stronger, better, faster. I soon became the lead deck person. And when I was

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