Women at work in a man’s world

Remember the question, "What do you want to be when you grow up"? You'd close your eyes and dream, for you were told you could be anything — a doctor, an astronaut or an economist who might even now be discovering how to best get the world out of the financial mess it's in. You could walk on red carpets, win a Nobel Prize or pen a book that changes people's lives. The world was full of possibility.

We're willing to bet, however, you were never encouraged to become a plumber, coach a men's basketball team or ensure oil rigs don't rust and sink into the sea....

Olga Hrycak, 61

Men's varsity basketball coach, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQÀM), Montreal

How did you start coaching men's basketball?

I've been coaching since 1967, when I was 21 and studying at the Université de Montréal. My former physical education teacher at Holy Names High School in Montreal brought me in to coach a team there. The next year, the school went coed and I coached the junior boys' team. The boys went 54-7 that season and the girls, 0-12. I decided I'd rather coach boys — and I never looked back.

What have been some of the highlights?

In 1987, I became apprentice coach for the Canadian men's basketball team. The head coach, Jack Donohue, was impressed, because there were no other women doing what I was doing. He knew my strength was defence and threw me in there to do defensive drills with the guys. That year, the men qualified for the '88 Olympics.

After that, I was head coach for 15 years at Dawson College in Montreal. We won eight provincial championships and, at the national level, two silvers and three bronzes. That's when my reputation was really made. Six years ago, UQÀM called. After three years and some good recruiting, we won the provincial championship in 2006. Fortune has really followed me.

(See also: The master plan: Competitive sports at midlife)

What about the lowlights?

They usually happen in the U.S., where people don't know me. Like last November, we were in Fort Kent, Maine, for a tournament, and just before the start of the first game, the referees came over to shake the head coach's hand. Only they made a beeline for my assistant coach, who's a male in his sixties. He pointed at me and told them I was the person whose hand they should be shaking. You should've seen their faces.

What do you wish you had known before you began coaching?

Nothing. This is the kind of job where you learn as you go.

What do you love about your job?

On the one hand, there's the passion for the game itself. On the other, it's a team sport that teaches you how to navigate through life. Talk to businessmen and they'll tell you this is what they're looking for in people: teamwork, leadership, a willingness to take action, a love of being challenged and the desire to do better. At its core, that's what basketball is.

Nerina McElroy, 41

Apprentice plumber, Guelph, Ont.

How did you get into the plumbing business?

In a roundabout way. After taking courses in robotics and similar subjects, I was working in that field but I wasn't happy. When a friend who owns a plumbing company asked me to help out mostly with paperwork, I leaped at the opportunity. Because of my engineering background, I began to go out on a few calls.

How do customers respond to you?

I've had men laugh when they find out I'm the plumber. "You're just a slip of a girl," they tell me. This is true. I'm five feet four inches tall and I weigh 115 pounds. Women and senior citizens appreciate me because I understand their needs better than any guy could. For example, women like to put cleaning products and garbage cans underneath the sink, but try telling that to a guy who is installing your pipes.

Was there a defining moment when you thought, I can do this?

The first job I ever did on my own was the key. It was a commercial contract, installing backflow preventers on water systems. With my background, I understood what needed to be done and when I realized I could cut into pipes without a disaster occurring, it felt really empowering. I'm in my fourth year as an apprentice right now, and I have just a bit more to do before I become a master plumber. Or mistress plumber, as the case may be.

What is your biggest frustration on the job?

When we're troubleshooting systems, a lot of people won't listen to me because they figure I'm a girl and what do girls know anyway? But I know that if I just do my job well, that's the best evidence that girls know a lot.

What do you love about it?

There's the shock value. You know when you're at a dinner party and, inevitably, someone asks, "What do you do for a living"? I tell them I'll pay them $1,000 if they guess right, but I haven't paid anyone yet. They usually guess "travel agent" or "model." When I tell them the correct answer, they express shock and maybe grudging admiration. But in the end, what I love the most is that it's all about figuring out how to deal with problems while keeping the customer in mind. Once, I went out on a job and a little girl there turned to her mom and said, "When I grow up, I want to be a plumber." I knew right then that what I'm doing has an impact.

Loretta Cianci, 48

Director of campus development, École des hautes études commerciales de Montréal (HEC), Montreal

What does a director of campus development do?

I oversee where departments are located, master plans for construction projects, the construction site, security, and heating and ventilation maintenance.

Every director of support services I've heard of has been a man. How did you get this job?

It's true! People do a double take when they find out what I do, and believe me, it wasn't something I planned for, either. I'm an architect and was laid off during the downturn in the late 1990s by the firm I'd been working 13 years for. Because it was a small firm, I'd had the chance to be involved in every aspect of construction. When I applied to HEC, they liked that I was an architect who could see projects from concept through to the nuts and bolts of construction.

What has been your biggest challenge?

Some members of the older generation tend to look at me as a woman first, then as an architect. I'd go onto sites and construction workers would think I was a secretary or an assistant — like someone who was there to take notes and carry pencils. After years of schooling, you can imagine how frustrating that was.

How have you dealt with that?

I learned early to compensate. My father was a traditional man and there were double standards in our family, between my three brothers and me. I had to justify my requests to get permission to do things that would have been no problem if I were a boy. So communication, objectiveness, fairness and open-mindedness have always been of great importance to me. This approach has helped me tremendously in difficult and delicate situations at work, especially in a male-dominated field. If you can show the person across the table there is more than one solution to a problem, then half the battle is won. With some people, though, there is no reasoning.

What do you love about your job?

When I started I was working with only a few employees, and now I have a department of 85. And I'm still learning. Some days, I'll wear a hard hat and other days, I have to suit up for meetings. Right now, we're working on a $12 million renovation project. Sometimes it's startling to think that I'm in charge. But it's feels great too.
 

Patrina Murphy, 48

Corrosion engineer, Petro-Canada, Chapel Arm, Nfld.

How did you get here?

My father had an autobody and mechanical repair shop in Chapel Arm, and I was registered with him as an apprentice. I also had experience as a commercial painter. So when the Hibernia oil platform came on stream in the early 1990s, the government was looking to enlist women in trades. I was the first woman in the crew at Bull Arm on its offshore oil platform — 500 men and me. Oh, you had your comments, your looks, your snarls, but I found that as long as I did my job well all the time, I was accepted fine enough as part of the team. What I quickly learned, though, is that women have to work every day really hard. Men don't, not after they've proven themselves. 

So you worked hard and what happened?

I was promoted to foreman in 1992. It was a shock for some, not all, of the guys — a woman in charge of them? But I've always maintained that "man" is simply the lopped off version of "woman." And when anybody gave me any guff, I wouldn't go crying to management. Instead, I'd simply deal with it one on one, going up to the person and telling him in no uncertain terms that he was ignorant. I could be really colourful. Still am, as a matter of fact.  

What makes you most angry?

It's conceited males who see nothing but gender. You know, the little asides like, "She's just a girl," not just from the workers but from management. Well, my dad, who had a garage and trained me, always said he'd never raise a dog that wouldn't bark for itself, so he sure as hell wasn't going to raise a daughter who couldn't. I can bark for myself just fine, thank you very much. 

What do you wish you had known from the start?

I wish someone had told me from an early age I could do anything. I've started encouraging schools to take young girls and put tools in their hands in the classroom. They're doing that right now. We bring girls from high school onto the site, 15 or 20 of them at a time, from Grades 10 through 12. We're making a difference!

Rikia Saddy, 41

Strategic branding expert, Vancouver

How would you describe your job?

I help companies position themselves in international markets. They often grow to a point where they're made up of a whole bunch of pieces and they don't know what they've become. I tell them.

What is it like to work in a field that is still dominated by men? 

It isn't Mad Men, not anymore. I think men and women do approach things differently. If you've ever taken a road trip with a guy, you know what I'm talking about. Like the refusal to ask for directions, to insist that he knows best. For me, it's about finding the best way to get to a destination.

What kind of roadblocks have you faced?

I'm not sure I'd call them roadblocks but some companies still have a male-dominated culture, where the assumption is that men are calmer, cooler and, therefore, more competent. A lot of women I know, and, okay, me, tend to get a lot more passionate about what we do. Some people don't like passion. They're scared of it or think it's a girl thing.

How do you deal with that?

I've learned to put myself in situations where my strengths can be strengths. It's not for me — a corporate environment where you sit back, pay your dues and quietly climb up the ladder. One of the most important things I've done is to leave the formal corporate culture and go out on my own. I have two kids, and my work gives me the flexibility and freedom to be there for them when they need me. And a lot of great, smart women have done the same thing.

It sounds like you're helping to change the culture.

The culture is changing with or without me. In these economic times, it can't be women versus men anymore. I think I'm lucky that in my generation, the tables are being turned bit by bit. Besides, I've never been in that mindset where I think of anything being dominated by men. One thing about my business, everybody is so hungry for the big idea, they'll take it from wherever it comes.

What are you most proud of?

The beauty of consulting is that people hire me for my expertise — and that's an example I'm proud to show my children. That their mom is tough, unconventional, passionate...and successful.

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Inspired by these successful women? Meet more women who are breaking boundaries and redefining success in our Top 40 over 40 feature. Want to follow in their footsteps? Why women are better than men at reinvention. Alternatively, ask yourself whether Workplace ageism really exists in Canada?

This article originally appeared in the Summer 2009 issue of More