I'm a female bricklayer - I've been doing it 16 years and I'm yet to meet another woman at work
- 3 months ago
A female bricklayer is calling for more women to enter the industry - as she's never met another one at work.
Tali Jayne Thierauf, 37, has been a bricklayer for 16 years and said she has always been the only woman on site.
She said she recognised how intimidating it can be for young women entering a male dominated industry - but she wished more woman would join her.
She said: "I think having more women in the industry is great for equal opportunity but it can also bring unique perspectives to problem solving too.
"Women bring a diverse range of skills that can help improve productivity, safety and innovation.
Tali said she's never felt any discrimination at work and that her male colleagues treat her as an equal.
She said "The men that I've worked with have always been supportive.
"I've never been treated any differently and when I'm at work I'm just one of the lads."
Tali, from Perth, Australia, has always wanted to be a bricklayer.
When she was just three, she had already decided she wanted to follow her dad's footsteps and become a bricklayer.
She said: "My dad was a bricklayer and I was always a bit of a daddy's girl.
"In year three at school we had to do a project saying what we wanted to do when we grew up and I said be a bricklayer or a boxer.
"Now I've been doing it for 16 years and I've always been the only girl on site."
Tali worked with her dad for 13 years before she eventually built up the courage to go out on her own.
She said: "I remember how nervous I was but I was with my dad and he was the boss so I was protected in that sense.
"It took me 13 years to build up courage to step away from him and go and work for another team.
"At one stage my dad wanted me to get an all girls team going and put some adverts out.
"It was a good opportunity to empower other women and I was going to run it but we just didn’t get anyone wanting to do it really.
"One girl came in for two days then left."
Tali believes that the answer may lie in more targeted advertisement and in the establishment of more female only trade schools.
She said: "I suppose there isn’t enough advertisement. Where are the opportunities being advertised?
"At the same time, there could more thought given to an all girls trade school so they can feel more relaxed whilst learning together. I think that's a great idea."
The physicality of a job like bricklaying is also something that could also be off putting to many girls.
Tali has had women in the past think that they want to be bricklayers but get put off by the physical side.
She said: "I couldn't even push a full wheelbarrow when I first started but I kept going and worked smarter until I could.
"I've met lots of girls that say they want to do what you do then every single one say their hands hurt or they cant do this and that and they get put off by it."
Kali hopes that her posting videos on TikTok will help too, having built up a community of other female bricklayers from around the world.
She said: "I try and use my TikTok for bricklaying much more now, I used to just post videos of my dogs.
"I've actually been speaking to some female bricklayers from the UK and we've been supporting each other, which is nice."
Tali Jayne Thierauf, 37, has been a bricklayer for 16 years and said she has always been the only woman on site.
She said she recognised how intimidating it can be for young women entering a male dominated industry - but she wished more woman would join her.
She said: "I think having more women in the industry is great for equal opportunity but it can also bring unique perspectives to problem solving too.
"Women bring a diverse range of skills that can help improve productivity, safety and innovation.
Tali said she's never felt any discrimination at work and that her male colleagues treat her as an equal.
She said "The men that I've worked with have always been supportive.
"I've never been treated any differently and when I'm at work I'm just one of the lads."
Tali, from Perth, Australia, has always wanted to be a bricklayer.
When she was just three, she had already decided she wanted to follow her dad's footsteps and become a bricklayer.
She said: "My dad was a bricklayer and I was always a bit of a daddy's girl.
"In year three at school we had to do a project saying what we wanted to do when we grew up and I said be a bricklayer or a boxer.
"Now I've been doing it for 16 years and I've always been the only girl on site."
Tali worked with her dad for 13 years before she eventually built up the courage to go out on her own.
She said: "I remember how nervous I was but I was with my dad and he was the boss so I was protected in that sense.
"It took me 13 years to build up courage to step away from him and go and work for another team.
"At one stage my dad wanted me to get an all girls team going and put some adverts out.
"It was a good opportunity to empower other women and I was going to run it but we just didn’t get anyone wanting to do it really.
"One girl came in for two days then left."
Tali believes that the answer may lie in more targeted advertisement and in the establishment of more female only trade schools.
She said: "I suppose there isn’t enough advertisement. Where are the opportunities being advertised?
"At the same time, there could more thought given to an all girls trade school so they can feel more relaxed whilst learning together. I think that's a great idea."
The physicality of a job like bricklaying is also something that could also be off putting to many girls.
Tali has had women in the past think that they want to be bricklayers but get put off by the physical side.
She said: "I couldn't even push a full wheelbarrow when I first started but I kept going and worked smarter until I could.
"I've met lots of girls that say they want to do what you do then every single one say their hands hurt or they cant do this and that and they get put off by it."
Kali hopes that her posting videos on TikTok will help too, having built up a community of other female bricklayers from around the world.
She said: "I try and use my TikTok for bricklaying much more now, I used to just post videos of my dogs.
"I've actually been speaking to some female bricklayers from the UK and we've been supporting each other, which is nice."