Celebrating International Women's Day with women working in male-dominated industries
This International Women’s Day we’re shining a light on the women who are trailblazing in their careers and working in what have stereotypically been thought of as ‘male jobs’.
We’re starting with the world of football - and speaking to the first ever female groundskeeper at Arsenal, Tara Sandford, and their new female apprentice Bobbie Murphy. Just 2% of grounds management staff, which are responsible for maintaining the nation’s pitches, are female and earlier this month Tara was part of an all-women grounds team who prepared Arsenal’s stadium for the Women's Super League match against Tottenham, making history.
Next, we’re meeting Natalie Smith who is the UK’s first ever female rig driver. She’s joining us live from a HS2 construction site, where she takes charge of the 86 tonne machine which drives 20 tonne steel rods into the ground.
We’re meeting Captain Zoe Cameron and engineer Alice Goodwin who are live from an aircraft’s cockpit at Heathrow. Less than 5% of the world’s pilots are women and Zoe herself has had to face airport staff assuming she’s cabin crew, despite wearing her Captain’s uniform. Alice has faced people thinking she doesn’t belong as an engineer, but is rising the ranks following graduating with an Aerospace Engineering degree and wants to inspire other young girls to join aviation.