In today's world, women can put out a fire, drive heavy equipment,
manage a farm, build a house and fly a helicopter; jobs that were
traditionally held by men.
"I think it would be kind of scary so I probably wouldn't because I
don't know, I'd be scared and probably get really nervous," said Molly
O'Shea of Harwood High School.
And even though these career paths may not be for every woman, the
point of this event is to let girls know it's all possible. About 350
students from all over the region are taking part.
"To know what they do and to appreciate their job and appreciate what
they do," O'Shea said.
The day is organized by Vermont Works for Women, a nonprofit focused
on just that; 37 different non-traditional careers are represented
here.
"The whole point of this isn't to discourage people from pursuing
those things, but to make sure that if they decide to choose nursing,
or teaching, that that's truly a choice," said Tiffany Bluemle of
Vermont Works for Women.
"There are a lot of young women who need to know that there are all
these opportunities out there. There are a lot of careers that are
available to them and lot of the things that are here today, these are
things that pay a living wage," said Catherine Kalkstein of the
Vermont Women's Fund.
A wage that is the past has been paid to men. But these students are
chopping through that stereotype one log at a time.
"I myself am in the building trades program so I work with a lot of
carpentry and tools," said Courtney Maxham of Woodstock Union. "And I
think it is really important to get women involved in it because it
shows them that they can do what everybody else can do."
Vermont Works for Women has been organizing this event for the past 12
years. One that is designed to prove gender should not be an obstacle
when choosing a career.
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