Women in trades: how to get started in Australia

The honest state of play

There is no single answer to how common women are in the trades, because the 15 trades on this site split into three very different worlds. Hairdressing is majority-female: around three quarters of working hairdressers are women, and the apprentice intake is even more heavily female than that. Commercial cookery sits in the middle: kitchens employ plenty of women, though only about a quarter of qualified chefs are female, and the share thins out further at head chef level. Then there are the construction, mechanical and electrical trades, where women are roughly 2 to 3 percent of the qualified workforce, a number that has been slow to shift for decades.

The direction of travel in the male-dominated trades is more encouraging than the headline number. Government figures show a large jump in women taking up male-dominated trades in recent years, and the growth in women starting electrical apprenticeships has been especially strong. But growth off a tiny base is still a tiny base. If you start in a construction or mechanical trade, you will often be the only woman on site, at least early on.

• •Hairdressing: women are the norm, not the exception. Around 76 percent of hairdressers are women, and hairdressing and beauty apprenticeships run at roughly 90 percent female.
• •Commercial cookery: about a quarter of chefs are women. You will rarely be the only woman in a kitchen, but the top jobs still skew male.
• •Construction, electrical and mechanical trades: around 2 to 3 percent of qualified tradespeople are women. Electrical has drawn the most women of these trades, with strong recent growth.
• •Women make up a much bigger share of apprenticeships overall, but most are in non-trade fields such as care and administration, plus hairdressing.

Why now is a decent time to start

The country is short of skilled tradies across the board, and that shortage is not going away soon. Housing targets, big infrastructure projects and the shift to cleaner energy all need electricians, plumbers, refrigeration and air conditioning techs, carpenters, welders, tilers and plasterers. Diesel mechanics and auto electricians are in shortage too, driven by transport, agriculture and mining. And it is not just the construction side: the 2025 national Occupation Shortage List rates chefs and other food trades in national shortage, and hairdressers are one of the few majority-women trades listed in shortage. Shortages tend to mean steadier work and better bargaining power once you are qualified.

There is also more structured support for women than in the past: specialist mentoring services, women-only try-a-trade days, and extra financial help for apprentices in shortage occupations. None of it removes the hard parts, but it lowers a few of the barriers that used to sit in the way.

The downsides to go in with eyes open

This is the part a lot of guides skip, and it applies mainly to the male-dominated trades. Being one of very few women in a male workplace can be isolating, and some sites still have a culture that ranges from clumsy to hostile. Casual sexism, being underestimated, or being left to prove yourself twice over are common experiences women describe. A good employer makes an enormous difference, so choosing who you work for is as important as choosing the trade.

The majority-female and mixed trades have their own honest downsides, they are just different ones. Hairdressing pay starts modest and stays below most licensed trades until you build a loyal clientele or your own chair. Commercial cookery means nights, weekends, split shifts and real heat-of-service pressure; penalty rates help the pay, but the hours cost you evenings and holidays.

• •Physical demand is real in most trades: long days on your feet, heavy lifting, heat, cold and awkward positions. Bricklaying, tiling, plastering and some plumbing and carpentry work are especially hard on the body over time. Hairdressing and cookery are lighter on lifting but still mean full days standing.
• •PPE and tools are still often designed around an average man. Ill-fitting boots, gloves and harnesses are a genuine safety and comfort issue, though better-fitting gear is getting easier to find.
• •Facilities can be an afterthought on construction sites. Clean toilets and change areas are not guaranteed.
• •In a male-dominated trade you may be the only woman in your crew or year group, which can be lonely. Mentoring networks help with this.
• •Apprentice pay is modest in the early years in every trade, so the first year or two can be a financial squeeze.

How the money actually works

Apprentice pay is not a flat wage you can look up in one number. It is set by the award that covers your trade, and it changes with your year of the apprenticeship (pay rises each year), your age (adult apprentices, generally 21 and over, usually get higher minimums), whether your progression is time-based or competency-based, and your schooling on entry. Because of that, the only reliable way to see your rate is to run your own details through the official calculator.

The payoff comes once you are qualified, and it differs a lot by trade. Diesel mechanics, especially in mining and heavy plant, sit near the top of trade earnings. The licensed trades (electrical, plumbing, refrigeration and air conditioning) sit in the top band too. As a guide, Jobs and Skills Australia reports median full-time pay of roughly 1,990 dollars a week for plumbers and about 1,760 dollars a week for carpenters, against about 1,210 dollars a week for hairdressers (Australian Bureau of Statistics data, May 2025). Treat these as approximate. They are before tax, they vary a lot by experience, location and overtime, and they do not capture the many tradies who run their own business and can earn more, or less, than an employee. Tiling, plastering and bricklaying earnings swing widely because so much of the work is priced by the job, and cookery pay leans on penalty rates for the unsociable hours.

• •Check your own apprentice rate with the Fair Work Pay Calculator rather than trusting a single figure online.
• •Adult and career-changer apprentices should look specifically for adult apprentice rates in their award.
• •Going out on your own later can lift income in almost every one of these trades, from a tiling business to renting a salon chair, but it also means quoting, chasing invoices and carrying insurance.

A quick, honest look across the trades

The 15 trades on this site suit different people. Here is a plain-spoken sense of each, so you can narrow the field.

• •Electrical: the male-dominated trade drawing the most women, strong pay, good future demand, but a longer apprenticeship and a licensed, exam-heavy path. Precise, problem-solving work.
• •Plumbing: well paid and always in demand, licensed, physical, and often with on-call or dirty jobs. Rewarding for people who like practical problem solving.
• •Carpentry: broad and varied, lots of outdoor work, a common entry point into building. Weather-exposed and hard on the knees and back over time.
• •HVAC and refrigeration: growing fast with the energy transition, good pay, licensed, a mix of workshop, rooftop and call-out work.
• •Automotive (light vehicle mechanic): strong if you love cars and diagnostics, but pay tends to sit lower than the licensed building trades, and the shift to electric vehicles is changing the skill set.
• •Auto electrician: the diagnostics-heavy end of automotive, in national shortage, and increasingly valuable as cars fill up with electronics. Less brute strength, more fault-finding.
• •Diesel mechanic: heavy vehicles, plant and mining gear. Near the top of trade earnings, strong demand, but heavy components, workshop grime and often regional or FIFO work.
• •Welding and fabrication: more workshop-based and less weather-exposed, good for people who like precision and making things. Watch fumes, heat and eye safety.
• •Painting and decorating: lower entry barrier and less heavy lifting, but generally lower pay and lots of prep, ladders and finish detail.
• •Bricklaying: highly physical and often paid by piece rate, which rewards speed and stamina but is tough on the body long term.
• •Wall and floor tiling: precise, finish-focused work with real demand and self-employment potential, but hard on the knees and back, and income swings with piecework.
• •Plastering: steady work while houses keep going up, a mix of lining and finishing skill, dusty and repetitive, with earnings that vary a lot between wage work and running your own jobs.
• •Cabinet making: workshop-based, precise and creative, gentler on the body than site trades, with pay in the lower-middle band. A good fit if you like making things to the millimetre.
• •Hairdressing: the one trade where women are the majority, roughly three quarters of the workforce. Creative, social, in national shortage, and light on heavy lifting, but pay starts near the bottom of the trade pack and builds with clientele, seniority or your own salon.
• •Commercial cookery: kitchens already employ plenty of women, about a quarter of chefs are female, and chefs are in national shortage. Creative and fast-paced, but nights, weekends and split shifts are the price, and base pay leans on penalty rates.

Money and support you may be able to access

Beyond your wage, apprentices in shortage trades can get extra help, and some of it is aimed squarely at women. The exact amounts and rules change, so confirm current details on the government sites before you count on anything.

Broadly, apprentices training towards an occupation on the Australian Apprenticeships Priority List can receive a training support payment (up to several thousand dollars, paid in instalments) to help with cost of living while they train. On top of that, there are specialist support and mentoring services for women in male-dominated trades, and many states run fee-free or subsidised TAFE places and women-into-trades programs. Note that the women-specific supports are generally aimed at male-dominated trades, so they typically will not apply to hairdressing, but shortage-trade and fee-free TAFE support can.

• •Priority List training support payment: extra financial help for apprentices in shortage trades, paid over the early years.
• •Specialist mentoring and wrap-around support for women in male-dominated trades.
• •State-based fee-free or low-fee TAFE places, scholarships and connecting-women-to-trades programs.
• •Check what applies to you on australianapprenticeships.gov.au and your state training authority.

How to actually get started

You do not need to have it all figured out to take the first step. The usual path is to try before you commit, then find an employer willing to take you on as an apprentice.

• •Try a trade first: look for taster days, short courses or hands-on workshops, including women-specific ones run by groups like SALT and Empowered Women in Trades. For hairdressing and cookery, a casual job in a salon or kitchen is the cheapest taste test there is.
• •Consider a pre-apprenticeship: a short course (often at TAFE) that builds basic skills, confidence and a foot in the door.
• •Find an employer: you need one to be apprenticed. Apply directly to trade businesses, or go through a Group Training Organisation, which employs you and rotates you between host businesses. A GTO can be a softer landing if you are worried about culture.
• •Get the paperwork sorted: an apprenticeship is a formal training contract, signed with your employer and registered through an Australian Apprenticeship Support Network provider.
• •Understand the licensing: trades like electrical, plumbing and refrigeration lead to a licence, which means extra requirements but also protected, better-paid work. Hairdressing, cookery and most workshop trades are unlicensed, so the qualification and your reputation carry the weight.

Questions to ask before you commit

Since the employer matters so much, treat the interview as you interviewing them too. The answers will tell you a lot about whether this will be a good few years or a hard slog.

• •Have you had women apprentices before, and how did it go? (In hairdressing, flip it: ask how many apprentices they have actually taken through to completion.)
• •Will I get properly fitting PPE and the right tools, or am I expected to make do?
• •What are the facilities like on your sites?
• •Who mentors apprentices, and how is progress reviewed?
• •How is pay progression handled, time-based or competency-based, and what does that mean for my rate each year?
• •In cookery: what does the roster actually look like week to week, and how are penalty rates and split shifts handled?
• •Talk to current or former women in the trade before you sign. Mentoring networks are the fastest way to get honest, unfiltered answers.