Technology Teacher wins fellowship to research oral history of NZ trades women
1 October 2007A member of the group that has pushed for increased female participation in the Modern Apprenticeship scheme has won a teaching fellowship to undertake oral histories of women in the trades.
Cathy Tracey, a trade qualified carpenter and joiner and a technology teacher at Taita College has been awarded a New Zealand Science Mathematics and Technology Teacher Fellowship from the Royal Society of New Zealand.
She will take a year off and record interviews with pioneering women in a variety of trades. Cathy’s preliminary research has found that at present, there is very little information recorded about the working lives of trades people. For example, research at the Oral History Section of the National Library revealed no specific information with subject entries under “women carpenters”, nor for women plumbers, painters and electricians. There was some information for women architects, for women in semi-skilled occupations in industries such as the Crown Lynn potteries and for women pioneers.
Cathy was a member of the Women and Modern Apprenticeships reference Group working with the Human Rights Commission on the “Give Girls a Go!” project.
The teaching fellowship award comes at a time when women’s progress in the Modern Apprenticeship scheme is glacial. Only 9% of the 9,752 Modern Apprentices or 834 are women compared with 91% of men at 8,918 as at the end of March, 2007.
The Modern Apprenticeship scheme, which is confined to some industries only, compares with the overall gender participation of all industry trainees of 27%.
The news is better for Māori in the Modern Apprenticeship scheme, in particular young Māori men.
| Male | 8,918 | 91% |
| Female | 834 | 9% |
| Total | 9752 | 100% |
| Male | Female | Total | |
| European/Pakeha | 7,020 | 519 | 7,539 |
| Maori | 1,245 | 183 | 1,428 |
| Pacific peoples | 245 | 52 | 297 |
| Other | 270 | 20 | 290 |
| Not Stated | 138 | 60 | 198 |
|
Total: |
8,918 | 834 | 9,752 |