by BRENDA IASEVOLI, Hechinger Report
Girls-only trade classes like Carlevatti’s are gaining traction, and the timing is right. A shortage of skilled workers is driving up wages in the trades, especially in traditionally male-dominated professions such as auto repair, construction and welding. (Nationwide, only 2 percent of auto mechanics, 3 percent of construction workers and 4.5 percent of welders are women, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.) High schools like Myers Park have found that when they offer female-only trade courses, the girls sign up. The trouble is, such courses could run afoul of Title IX regulations regarding single-sex education. The law prohibits separation of genders in vocational training. Still, advocates see plenty of reason to forge ahead, and the labor shortage is just one factor. They argue that all-girls trade classes embolden girls to push against gender stereotypes that threaten to hold them back, whether they want to swing a hammer or break into the boardroom. Shop class, it seems, is a new path to female empowerment.
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