Taxpayers subsidize physically demanding trade jobs for ‘single pregnant women’
The federal government should not prioritize boosting the number of female welders as part of its economic policy.
The College Fix recently reported on a federally-funded effort to boost the number of women pursuing degrees in welding, automotive repair, and other trade jobs. The money comes from the Perkins Career and Technical Education Act and is meant to support “nontraditional learners” in trade jobs.
The list includes “out-of-workforce individuals,” the homeless, people with disabilities, and “single pregnant women.”
Fields that have a gender imbalance in general can also get the funds, such as men who want to work in health jobs or women in the trades.
But some of those priorities are not ordered to the good.
There is a compelling interest in helping someone who is homeless or unemployed get trained on a new job. Someone with disabilities is worth supporting too, if there is a way they can get trained in a job that fits their current abilities.
Furthermore, helping single pregnant women find a job that allows them to provide for themselves and their child is a worthy goal. But it is not a worthy goal to encourage single pregnant women to go into physically demanding trade jobs that can have erratic work schedules, regular layoffs, and require frequent travel.
I don’t have a problem with female car mechanics. Frankly, I’d rather talk to a female mechanic with good customer service skills if I had a problem with my car.
But there is not a pressing need to boost the number of women changing oil or rotating tires.
Likewise, the gender imbalance in welders likely reflects natural inclinations men have as well as the demands of the job.
It is okay to let natural biological differences play out in the open market and the federal government does not need to intervene.
It is also okay to recognize gender differences. If women find themselves naturally drawn to service-oriented, human-facing jobs like teaching, social work, and counseling, it is not the job of the government to intervene in that.
Sure, if there were efforts specifically to block someone from a job because of their sex, for no defensible reason, that would be worth stopping.
But trying to achieve 50 percent balance in every occupation is a losing battle that is not worth fighting in the first place.
MORE: Med school system displaces Americans in favor of foreigners
IMAGE: Violator 22/Shutterstock
Like The College Fix on Facebook / Follow us on Twitter
Please join the conversation about our stories on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, MeWe, Rumble, Gab, Minds and Gettr.